Two Sides of a Broken Coin
by XxDeafening.SilencexX
Summary: The Kyuubi is Naruto, and Sasuke is kidnapped during the annual Kyuubi hunt. What happens when he finds out the true extent of his past with a blonde haired boy and a malicious fox demon? NaruSasu. Enjoy.
1. Once Upon A Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or Sasuke. But hopefully, because of a friend, I shall in a few days own a Sasuke plushie.

A/N: This is for Sweetsong's challenge, and I hope I don't mess it up too much. -sigh- Why am I always so worried? Anyways, here we go.

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Once upon a time, there were two friends who had grown up together. They knew each and every single thing about each other, and in time their mutual friendship grew to affection, to love. They knew the two of them were meant for the other, and theirs was a beautiful relationship, full of trust and understanding. They, with fate on their side, lived happily ever after.

That was the beginning. It is not a very good beginning, nor is it very accurate. But perhaps, a clever reader may infer a few things more from what is going to be pointed out. There is no mention of gender in this fairy-tale like opening, only two childhood friends. In fact, it is all very general, isn't it, passing the point of vagueness and bounding onto the territory of concealment. It does not include any specific names at all. Would you all like the names? Well, since all readers are endowed with natural inquisitiveness, or so every author hopes, here are the names of the childhood friends, or should we say, acquaintances.

Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

Surely, everybody has heard some version of… the first time. The first love. Perhaps the first happiness, or the first tragedy. And undoubtedly your version is much less vague than the one above and needs a lot less explanation. But, this is not about the first time. This narrative is written about the **second** time. They meet again, Naruto and Sasuke, in a later time but in a not so different place. They meet, because the first time was a disaster, and some unknown force in the world whose name is sometimes Love and sometimes otherwise wants for them to have another chance at the happiness that is so important to a human life. Love gives them the chance again.

It does not work. Readers, dear readers, do not be resentful because the ending is spoiled for you. This is a warning. This is how it ends on… the second time.

_"Sasuke?" _

_"Yes?"_

_"Promise me one thing?" _

_"Anything, anything you want." Sasuke answered desperately._

_Naruto chuckled weakly at Sasuke's compliance, and gathered up his strength to pass on his wish. "Don't throw away your life like I did. Don't go running to a demon and wish for immortality and numbness. Just… live. Live on without me, as I'm sure you can. You never did need me that much, did you?" He smiled, the expression still innocent even through centuries of pain. "And… Sasuke, I'm sure, that… in someplace, in sometime other than here and now… I'm sure we have a happy ending just once. I've learned that the hard way. So… don't despair, ok?" _

_Naruto closed his eyes for what seemed like a small eternity, and Sasuke waited with bated breath for them to open once more. And when they did, a sharp sigh escaped his lips, for they were coated with the lazy film of death. He didn't bother to wipe away the tears that came from his eyes. _

_"Don't cry for me, Sasuke." Naruto whispered. "I don't deserve your tears. I don't deserve anybody's tears." _

_His breath became shallow, and for lack of better words Naruto reached up and brushed away Sasuke's tears for him, leaving bloody streaks on Sasuke's cheeks where his fingers touched. He let his arm drop in an awkward pile afterwards and closed his eyes again._

_"Naruto," Sasuke called as he put his hand on Naruto's chest and found the heartbeat of a dying man, "of course you deserve my tears. I-I…" _

_He couldn't go on. The impending doom of this irreversible death made those few words seem utterly insignificant, and he didn't know what he would achieve by expressing them. Would it take away Naruto's pain? Would it heal his wounds? Would it prevent his death? No, none of those. _

_And yet Naruto seemed to understand, and to appreciate, even at this moment. _

_"I know, Sa-" he breathed in painfully, his blood continuing to spill over Sasuke's arms and legs. "-suke. I'm just… glad not to be your weakness anymore. And," another sharp breath, "I…love you…too…" _

_Sasuke held the dying Naruto to his chest, and as he did he heard a familiar sound, the sound of a band welding Naruto's and the Kyuubi's souls together shattering into nothingness. It was indeed the last band, and the Kyuubi roared out, trying to break out from the dying body that was encompassing his soul. _

_But it was of no use, for even as he began to struggle, his soul was being dragged to the afterworld, entwined forever with Uzumaki Naruto's and forever unable to escape back into the mortal world. _

_The sun above came out from the clouds and shone down on the world once more, illuminating the tragic scene below with uncaring rays. _

_Sasuke watched as a ray of sun struck the burnished gold of Naruto's hair, and wept inconsolably as he wondered whether it had been this hard for Naruto the first time, when he himself had died and left a brokenhearted Naruto to deal with the world alone. And suddenly, for the first time, he couldn't blame the blond from running to Kyuubi just to end his pain. Not when suicide had suddenly appeared in his thoughts. But… he would listen to Naruto. He would live without him. _

_Just… he needed this time to weep for his love, because, besides him, who else would? Everyone else would see this as the end of Kyuubi, of a dangerous demon that should be dead, but only Sasuke would see this as the death of a boy who had given up everything for him, the acceptance of a community, the innocence of his pure soul, and finally, his life, all for their love. _

_And…what could he do now? Naruto was dead. Itachi was dead. The 5th Hokage was also keeping company with ghosts. What could he do now? _

_Then, suddenly, there came a distraction. _

_The delayed Konoha shinobis came racing into the meadow, ready to fight to the death for their beloved Sasuke, their village prodigy. _

_But what they saw stunned them. Uchiha Itachi was lying dead, crimson blood seeping into the grass on one side of the meadow, and Kyuubi, in his human form, was lying dead and being cradled in their prodigy's arms. _

_It took a while for the trained ninjas to recover their composure, and when they did, an especially courageous one asked respectfully, "What should we do now, Uchiha-sama?" _

_Sasuke didn't know how to answer that question, but as a brief acknowledgment looked into their eyes just once before looking back down at Naruto. The shinobis took that their own way, as an order to dispose of the bodies, even though he hadn't meant any such thing. They immediately gave suggestions and went into action. _

_"We should start forming funeral plans in the Uchiha cemetery and announce the deaths formally to the village." someone said, and hurried off. _

_The shinobis took for granted, even without speaking, that Sasuke-sama's older brother would be buried honorably with his ancestors, as was due to one with his blood. No matter what horrible things he had in his life, he was still born an Uchiha and that was what mattered. _

_As for the Kyuubi, well, that was a problem. How should they dispose of it properly? Should they burn it and scatter the ashes? Should they tear the body up into a thousand pieces and bury them all separately? Should they just cut out his heart and brain, would that be sufficient? _

_Well, whatever they would do, they would have to make sure the nine-tailed fox demon would never come back again. And as for the boy, the human form, his name had been practically erased from history. He had never existed, never been a living part of Konoha. And even if he had, well, that was a long time ago, and since then he had betrayed the town and committed a horrendous crime with no apparent reason. Besides, the one thing that had survived the obliteration of Uzumaki Naruto's life, besides his name which was never to be uttered, was the fact that he was an orphan, abandoned in a city street and forced to sleep on the hard floors of the ninja academy, because nobody would take him in. Didn't that show something? Even as a child nobody loved him and everyone abandoned him. He deserved to be punished in the afterlife. _

_"Let's burn the Kyuubi!" Someone started, and shouts of agreement ran out from all sides instantly. It was just as quickly stifled however when Sasuke threw out an icy glare. _

_"Is that all he is?" he called out, challenging everyone around him to dispute him, but nobody did. "Is that all he is, this innocent boy who is now dead?" _

_"He wasn't in the least innocent!" A voice lost in the crowd called out. "He sold his soul to the Devil!" _

And indeed, Naruto _had_ sold his soul to the Devil, or more specifically, Kyuubi, a long long time ago. A time, dear readers, that you will all learn about quite soon if you keep reading. Of course, there still is that if. This ending you all know, but it is not the whole ending yet. And perhaps, if you all keep reading until the whole ending is said, perhaps you might forgive the haphazard way this story is narrated. This author does not want you to cry or be clouded by emotions, or to feel pity. This author believes that if you all know at least part of the ending, you all may not feel so sad. This is meant to soothe you, and to help read with a calm heart and appreciate the moments when Naruto and Sasuke are truly happy.

But, as of right now, that moment when this narrative is finally complete is a long time off. Still, here is the beginning. Let us start. And the beginning, this time, will be much more accurate.

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Sasuke awoke, as he did everyday, at precisely 5:45am, with the goal to get to the training grounds and to train alone for a half hour at the least every morning. Or at least that was the reason programmed into his clockwork mind, and that was how he conquered nature every morning and woke up at exactly the same time. Except, on this morning, he had the unnatural wish to stay in bed even though he was very much awake. He idly wondered to himself why that was. Hmm, he was so warm, he didn't want to get up, and 5 more minutes couldn't hurt…

He breathed in and out peacefully for five minutes more, before opening his eyes and discovering just who was sleeping next to him. A shock of blond hair, definitely not his own, covered his eyes, and he brushed it away almost wearily. What had he done last night? He never let girls get this close to him… wait, no, that was something else. What was the last thing he remembered?

…Darkness.

Before that? Torches. Shouts. A great amount of running. A goal. Determination. But then… one color. A devilish red. Yes, a red pulsing around him.

THE KYUUBI!

With a flash he remembered and understood. He sat up instinctively, not wanting to be caught sleeping at a time like this. Who knew what dangers were surrounding him? He was still wearing his bloodstained clothes from the hunt, he realized as the sticky fabric clung to him. That was going to minimize his movement… but wait, again.

His eyes darted around, analyzing the setting, but there was no visible danger as far as he could see. There was just the morning light shining through a window into a stark white room. And inside the room he was sitting on a bed, someone else's bed, covered with stark white sheets. Where was this? An illusion? Perhaps, but a good one if he couldn't sense it.

"Sasuke…" a lazy voice drawled out, and his head whipped around, to see within the white blankets a beautiful blonde child with half-lidded beautiful blue eyes. His hair was spread out on the pillow, framing his pale unblemished face that was devoid of emotion, as befitting an angel. Then he smiled. It was only a small uplifting of his lips, and yet it put a sparkle in his eyes and made that face all the more human and all the more enchanting. How did this angel know his name? And why did he breathe it as if Sasuke was his own personal savior? He hadn't ever seen this boy before in his life, and yet, yet he seemed so familiar.

"Sasuke, let's go back to sleep…" His eyes closed and Sasuke stared at him, amazed by this strange behavior. Why was he addressing him so informally? Even Hinata-chan addressed him as Sasuke-kun, never as Sasuke. Why was there such an intimate air about this situation? Besides the obvious, that they had woken up in the same bed, this boy angel seemed so _used_ to Sasuke's presence.

…He needed answers.

"Hey, angel, wake up!"

He stirred a little, and cracked one eye open. "Angel? Me, Sasuke? I'm honored. And why should I wake up? I only get to see you in my dreams…" His eyelid came down once more, shielding his eyes from the harsh light of morning and Sasuke's penetrating stare. Dreams? This was even more puzzling.

But it seemed like this boy wasn't going to wake up, so Sasuke took this time to assess the situation on his own. It was very apparent to him now that he had been kidnapped by the Kyuubi during the annual hunt, though how it had been achieved he still couldn't remember. But it was not so out of place, after all. For almost all of his fifteen years of life, and since a long time before, after each hunt, the townspeople would find there to be someone, usually a young man, missing from the group that had gone hunting, and every year the atmosphere in Konoha would tense unbearably until the young man came back, which he always did, unhurt and seemingly unchanged except for sexual orientation. These young men seemed to turn homosexual, or at least bisexual, every time. And they would mutter endlessly about some blonde angel, which, Sasuke realized, was the boy sleeping next to him, the boy whose beauty had gotten a reaction from even the cold Uchiha Sasuke. He turned to watch the sleeping boy, noticing how he seemed almost preternatural in the shadowed light.

Hmm… this boy seemed about the same age as him, and yet had been around for more than five times his lifetime. Who was this boy? Sasuke looked down at the angel's face, noticing that it had not blossomed fully into adulthood. There was a common theory throughout the village that this blonde angel had seduced all of the young men, that he was only the human form of Kyuubi. But how could a demon take such an angel's form? Sasuke concluded that it was impossible, and he resolved to learn more about the boy and the Kyuubi while he was semi-imprisoned like this.

In fact, it was the perfect time to learn more about the Kyuubi, while he was inside of the demon's lair, no pun intended. And, who knows? He might actually capture the K-

Sasuke froze in surprise. Were there ARMS clasping him around the waist possessively? He looked down. Yep, there were. And they were NOT letting go, provoking a strange reaction from Sasuke. He relaxed, hesitantly, but definitely relaxed. This boy was just so warm, and he had such a nice shade of hair. And anyways, it was nice to feel…loved. Not admired, or idolized. Just loved, and wanted.

The blonde angel woke up once more after a few hours, the later hours very uncomfortable ones for Sasuke, who was trapped in his grasp and couldn't get out no matter what he did. In those few hours, he could've sworn that the whole lower half of his body had fallen asleep. Sasuke was greatly relieved when the boy finally woke up.

"Hmm? Am I still dreaming?" the boy asked sleepily, loosening his arms at last to rub his eyes. He then turned those bright blue orbs onto the black-haired boy. "Or are you really here, Sasuke?"

Sasuke summoned up a look of contempt at this ridiculous question. Of course he was really here! Did he actually look like he came from a dream or something? He answered testily, "Of course I'm _here_, baka, if I wasn't, blood would still be circulating in my legs!"

He didn't get any further, due to the fact that the still-anonymous-boy had flipped over on the bed and was on top of him, squeezing him madly.

"H-Hey!" he cried out, but the protest was drowned out.

"SASUKE! Really? Truly? You're HERE? I can't believe it!"

"What? Who are you to say that? I haven't ever met you in my life; I don't know WHY in the world you would be so excited." This would have made more of a point if it wasn't punctuated with the wheezes in between every few words.

Sasuke took a much-needed deep breath as the blonde released him from the tight grip, but he still didn't get up off of him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm rushing it and messing it up, aren't I? My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and-" What could Naruto say? That he was Sasuke's soulmate? That they had been in love oh so many years ago? That he needed Sasuke as much as he needed air to breathe? For they were all true. Except… Sasuke didn't know any of that and Naruto meant to keep it that way. "-since you're going to be stuck with me for probably more than a week, you should know that I'm loud, rude, and annoying to a huge degree and that I'm no angel at all."

"Oh…" Sasuke was still stupefied at the abnormality of this introduction. "Are you sure?" He then realized what he just asked. "Wait, don't answer that. Eh, um, I'm-"

"Uchiha Sasuke, I know." Naruto grinned widely, the smile reaching his eyes once again.

"But how _do_ you know me? I've never seen nor met you in my entire life!"

Naruto's eyes glinted suddenly. "Or maybe you've just forgotten…"

"What? No, how could I?"

"Hmph, I don't know."

"Anyways, you're going to tell me, aren't you?" Sasuke grabbed hold of Naruto's wrist when it seemed like the boy was going to climb off and run away.

Naruto stopped trying to get away, turned his head, and enunciated clearly, "No, I'm not."

"Why not?" Naruto watched as the furrow between Sasuke's eyebrows deepened.

"Cause you don't want to know."

"How do you know what I want or don't want?" When the blonde didn't answer, Sasuke put out a last attempt. "Ok, fine. Then you can call me Uchiha-sama since we're still _strangers_."

"Mmm-hmm, good try, but I won't budge, _Uchiha-sama_. There are some things in life that should be kept secret until the right moment. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'm going to take a shower and I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd let go of my hand."

"Oh." Sasuke hadn't realized he had still been holding onto Uzumaki Naruto's hand: that was evident by his nervous expression. "Oh, um…"

Naruto turned back, glancing at Sasuke with one eye. "Yes?"

"What should I do?"

Naruto turned back, sighing. "What a trivial question. You'll stay here until I get back. I mean, you don't really want to get lost in this place. And I don't really have the inclination to rescue you either."

Sasuke blushed, but whether from the condescending tone Naruto had used, or how he was now staring at said blonde's delicious backside (he was wearing only a pair of boxers), he didn't know. All he knew was that this Naruto was affecting him, a LOT. He hadn't blushed since, what? More than 10 years ago…

Then, suddenly, a loud _crack_ penetrated Sasuke's eardrums. What was that sound? Despite Naruto's warning, he rushed out of the bedroom, trusting his finely tuned senses to lead him to the source of the noise. They led him to a door, (that was promising) and a locked one at that (more promising). A few seconds later, Sasuke unlocked the door and opened it slowly, wary of danger...

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Eh, I know, it's very unorthodox beginning with the ending. Should be fun to write the rest though. And it might actually motivate me to finish this fic…


	2. The Kyuubi

Disclaimer: -in a monotone voice- I do not own Naruto. I do not own Sasuke. I do not own The Kyuubi. (Yes, it's THE Kyuubi, not just Kyuubi.) -The Kyuubi nods in agreement-

A/N: Second chapter! w00t! Wait…why am I so excited again? -ponders- Hmm, oh well. -smiles- For some really I'm still happy, even though school starts in 4 days… WHY? WHY! Ok, better now, onto the chapter. Enjoy.

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_Then, suddenly, a loud _crack_ penetrated Sasuke's eardrums. What was that sound? Despite Naruto's warning, he rushed out of the bedroom, trusting his finely tuned senses to lead him to the source of the noise. They led him to a door, (that was promising) and a locked one at that (more promising). A few seconds later, Sasuke unlocked the door and opened it slowly, wary of danger..._

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What Sasuke saw inside was… unexpected, if not downright bizarre. His first impression was purple. Yes, purple. There was a huge floating… MASS of it in the middle of the room. Or Sasuke thought it was the middle. He couldn't really SEE the other side of it, see, and the walls on his side just stretched until it was covered by, err, the mass of purple. Well, perhaps a mass wasn't the best way to describe it. It was more like purple fog blanketing the air inside of the room and thickening to the point of opacity as it neared the other side of the room. Um, was that a better description? And… inside the purpleness, Sasuke made out a series of lines, thin almost to the point of being unnoticeable, but they were there, circling the purpleness, creating a semblance of a small sphere.

Sasuke stepped closer. And closer. And closer, until the purple fog circled around him and if he had cared to look around he wouldn't have seen the door he had come through. He didn't try to look. It was as if something inside the fog was beckoning him on, whispering to him to go forward. Sasuke obeyed.

He walked closer and closer to the small sphere, the center of the fog as it may, the lines turning out to be of the deepest pitch black. But from inside a light was pouring out, a pure white light contrasting greatly with the cage it was being held in. Sasuke squinted further. There was something _inside_ of the light, he knew it, and he wanted to see it. Right now it was only a dim outline. But it was calling out, begging to be heard. He reached forward to part the dark lines surrounding the light.

"NO! Sasuke! Don't touch it!" A loud and mind-shattering voice called out to him, and he flinched, annoyed. Who was that who dared break his concentration at such an important time as this? He needed to reach the light, he needed to break the darkness…

"SASUKE!" Something, somebody, was tackling him, pushing him down, away from the sphere, away from what he was supposed to do. His hazy eyes snapped to attention and focused on a pair of blue ones above him.

"N-Naruto?" He choked out slowly, wondering what the blonde thought he was achieving by sitting on top of him.

"SASUKE!" He was now being squeezed to death by a back-breaking hug, Sasuke observed, his mind still not thinking the right way. But he heard Naruto's muttering, over and over, as if he didn't believe his own words. "You're all right, you're all right, you're all right…"

It sounded as if he was more trying to reassure himself of that fact than trying to reassure Sasuke. Sasuke watched, his senses still clouded, as the blonde stood up, holding Sasuke in his arms effortlessly, and walked away from the sphere, the fog parting before him. He walked out the door, and as if being pulled on invisible strings, it slammed shut quite suddenly.

Outside, in the hallway, Sasuke's thinking became much clearer, and he rubbed his eyes as if trying to get rid of the last remnants of sleep. His fuzzy brainwaves were helped along considerably in reviving by the pain in his butt, as Naruto dropped him unceremoniously on the hard wooden floor. Sasuke looked up at his blonde angel, who was now wearing a black tank top and a pair of loose black pants, whose hair was dripping (he had just gotten out of the shower after all), and whose expression was contorted with anger and agitation, not quite looking like an angel.

"SASUKE!" The raven-haired boy winced as his named was blared into his poor ears. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT STAYING PUT?"

He stared up at Naruto who was looming over him, but (thankfully) more in a protective than threatening way. The blonde was breathing heavily, looking panicked and once in a while looking back over to that room, that door that Sasuke had opened and walked through.

"BAKA! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED? DO YOU KNOW HOW HURT YOU WOULD'VE BEEN? IF NOT KILLED?"

"I'm…sorry?" Sasuke offered timidly, not used to apologizing and not knowing how Naruto would take it.

The blonde shot him a suspicious look, wondering if he had heard right and Sasuke was really saying sorry for something. Sasuke scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "I'm serious. I'm sorry for not listening to you and wandering out of the room. It's just, well, I was curious about a sound I heard earlier and it came from that room…"

Naruto turned, staring at the room once more.

"Will you tell me what it was I saw in there?" Sasuke prodded, once it was obvious Naruto wasn't going to say anything voluntarily. Naruto turned back, a contemplative look in his eyes.

"Will you stay away from it no matter what if I do?"

Sasuke hesitated. The idea of anything being off-limits to him was foreign and a little unattractive, but he supposed it was ok. He _really_ wanted to know what he had just seen.

"Ok, I will."

"Promise."

"What, you don't trust me?" Sasuke asked lightly, an innocent smirk (wait, is that an oxymoron?) on his face. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"I don't trust your curiosity to not get the better of you before. Promise."

"Ok, ok. I promise to stay away from that room no matter what if you tell me what is in there."

"Better. Now, to answer your question." Naruto sat down on the wood floor too, so that now his eyes were on the same level as Sasuke's. He caught the raven-haired boy's gaze and held it, making sure to emphasize the seriousness of his words. "You've probably wondered why I'm living here, and you've probably heard descriptions of me from other young men who've come here over the years."

Sasuke acknowledged it as the truth with a short nod and waited for Naruto to go on.

"I'm…a captive of the Kyuubi. Or I guess you could say that." He tried to smile, but it came out as a sort of grimace. "He holds my soul and keeps me eternally young like this."

Ahh, so that was the reason, Sasuke thought. It made sense, after all. But he wondered just how Naruto had been caught by the Kyuubi...

"And inside that room…is my soul, interwoven with the Kyuubi's." Sasuke started with surprise. What? That purplish fog was… no, Naruto's soul must've been within that light. And if his soul and the Kyuubi's were interwoven, that must mean…

Naruto grimaced again, seeing Sasuke's surprise and realization. "You've figured it out, haven't you? That I'm the human container for Kyuubi… Those black lines you saw inside that room bind our souls together. That crack you heard was one of them breaking apart."

Sasuke looked up at this. He had gotten over the initial surprise, and now wanted details. He wanted details to reassure himself that Naruto wasn't the bad guy, so to speak, that he could lay all the blame on Kyuubi for imprisoning this beautiful boy. Because he didn't _want_ to blame Naruto.

"_One_ of those lines made such a crack? How is that possible?"

"Oh, you don't believe me?"

Sasuke's skeptical expression answered the question for him. Those black lines were THIN.

"Let's see, how can I convince you…?"

Naruto pursed his lips in thought, looking charmingly spaced out, then his eyes snapped to attention and came to rest on Sasuke. He scooted over until he was sitting beside the Uchiha, and said softly, "Let me kiss you."

"Wh-What?" Sasuke stuttered at this sudden change of topic. Kiss? Naruto? What?

"I said, let me kiss you. It's crucial to what I want to show you, I assure you."

"How?"

Naruto frowned. "It's going to take a long time to explain and I don't feel like doing it. Just don't struggle."

And with that his slim fingers took Sasuke's chin in hand, and Sasuke found a pair of soft lips pressed to his own. He didn't struggle, but he didn't kiss back either. His mind just wandered again to the rumor about the Kyuubi seducing all of the young men as he watched Naruto sigh into the kiss, his eyes turning a bright sapphire blue.

There was another _crack_, and Naruto pulled away, satisfied. "There." he whispered. "Another one just broke. You heard it, didn't you?" He was still extremely close, invading Sasuke's personal space, but Sasuke had no intention of pulling away. And in any case, he couldn't. Naruto was still holding his chin in fingers, and his grasp was startlingly strong.

"Yes, I did. But it seemed to come from you instead of the room like before…"

Naruto slipped his fingers off of Sasuke's chin, his hand going instead to his chest. "You noticed, huh? Yes, there is a place in my heart that echoes the crack and cries out in pain whenever a bond is snapped. That is what you heard."

His speech pattern was different now, more formal, and Sasuke wondered why...

Now the blonde moved away, leaning his back against the wall. "So, now do you believe me?"

"Yes, I suppose. I heard it with my own ears and I should trust them. But why did you kiss me?"

"Because it was a very effective trigger." _And because I wanted to_, Naruto added in his mind.

"But why?"

"That's a long story for another day, Sasuke-kun. Right now, let's get you cleaned up and into some new clothes."

Sasuke looked down at his bloodied and torn outfit and couldn't find the will to protest. He wanted some new clothes too, so he stood up when Naruto did and followed him along strange corridors. He still had one more question though.

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"What would've happened if I had touched those strings in that room?"

Naruto didn't break stride, but didn't answer either for a few minutes. Sasuke thought he wasn't going to answer at all, but then he spoke.

"You probably would have been able to break most of the bonds."

_How?_

"Don't ask why, or how, I won't tell you. I most likely would have died from the pain of separating so abruptly-"

_WHAT? I would've **Killed** Naruto?_

"-and the Kyuubi would have broken free."

_-still getting over shock of almost killing Naruto, the Kyuubi breaking out doesn't seem so bad-_

"You see, there are some specific days during which he can control me, body and mind, but most of the time he lets me have control over myself. That he let my consciousness survive through our unification was in of itself a miracle, but he tells me it's much more entertaining for him to watch me wade through everyday life than to control me all the time."

"You speak to the Kyuubi?"

"Of course. But here we are."

Naruto opened a door, one of the myriads of closed doors throughout this mansion, and revealed an elegantly decorated bathroom, complete with sink, toilet, bathtub, and shower. The blonde flicked on a light switch which turned on a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, which was… REALLY HIGH UP. Sasuke had to crane his neck up in order to see it, and then he gasped. Painted on the slightly curved ceiling was the perfect sky, a clear brilliant blue with white cotton ball clouds. It was the sort of sky Sasuke never had time to appreciate within the busy moments of his life. And on the four walls forming the bathroom were scenes from the four seasons, no, not scenes, whole landscapes full of the little details that formed the essence of each season.

Sasuke was astonished and gaped openly at the spectacle surrounding him, knowing no building anywhere would be able to match it. "This is amazing…" he breathed out.

Naruto smiled as he watched Sasuke's reaction. "Thank you. It took me more than a year to complete this room, now it's one of my two favorite bathrooms in the whole house. I'll show you the other one l-"

"YOU did this?"

"Of course. Kyuubi has no absolutely no sense in interior decorating (a very true fact, by the way), so he left me all of these empty rooms to play with. I've had a lot of fun with them in the century or so I've lived in this house. The bedroom you woke up in before is my haven for peace and I love to just lie in bed after I've woken up and watch the shadows change on the walls. It's beautiful then…"

"…"

Sasuke tried to digest this new information, that this boy had been around for more than a hundred years. Longer than any lifetime he could ever hope to attain. He was speechless.

"Sasuke? Sasuke! Are you all right?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah, I was just thinking."

Naruto cracked a small smile. "You'll have a lot more time to think as you take your bath. Take your time with it; the water never grows cold in this house. All the stuff you need is by the bathtub, when you're done pull that cord over there-" he pointed to said cord, "and I'll come in with some new clothes. Ok?"

Sasuke nodded distantly, only half-aware of what Naruto had said. He had just noticed that the bathtub was now filled with hot steaming water when it had been empty just seconds before, when they had come in, but he said nothing.

The closing of the door brought him back to his senses, Naruto was gone. He stripped quickly out of his dirty clothes, leaving them in a pile on the tile floor. He was too tired to care about the mess. Sasuke stepped carefully into the water, and when he found it to be the temperature most suited to him, he lowered the rest of his body into the comforting warmth, gingerly setting his butt down on the bottom. It still hurt from when Naruto had purposely dropped him. But then, so did the rest of his body from last night.

…Oh boy did that sound wrong. But it was true all the same. His muscles ached from running around and from the natural stress he built up in life. The water felt WONDERFUL. He closed his eyes, relaxing completely. Then he turned his mind to Naruto.

What did he know about him?

1. His full name was Uzumaki Naruto, and he looked like a blonde angel. (These are all proven facts in Sasuke's mind, by the way.)

2. His soul was interwoven with the Kyuubi's, making Naruto the demon's captive and human vessel.

3. Both their souls were in a room he was forbidden to go into now, and surrounded by a sphere of black strings binding the two souls together.

4. Sasuke wanted desperately to go back into that room.

5. Despite being Kyuubi's human vessel, Naruto had control over his body for most of the time, with exceptions, of course.

6. Naruto had fabulous sense as an interior designer and also was somewhat of a genius (understatement) at painting.

7. He had the physical body of a 15-year old or a little older, but had lived for at least a century if not more.

Did that sum it up? Wait, one more…

8. His lips were quite soft and he was a great ki- Wait. Where had that come from?

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, and he stared up at the ceiling. No _no_ NO! What he had MEANT to think was…

8. He seemed to have a history with Sasuke, but refused to divulge any information about it, which was frustrating him to pieces.

Yes, that was it. Sasuke sighed, knowing the soothing warmth was getting to his head. _That_ was the reason he was thinking these foolish thoughts, like how Naruto was a good kisser.

…Though that wasn't technically a LIE. Naruto had very soft lips, almost like smooth velvet, and anybody who had the fortune of being endowed with those would just HAVE to be a good kisser. And he was all so warm too. And way too cuddly for his own good. UGH!

Sasuke massaged his temples, trying to drive these confusing thoughts OUT.

Meanwhile, the object of Sasuke's thoughts was walking through the hallways of the huge palace-like structure, returning to the room he had found Sasuke in a half-hour before. He opened the door slowly and walked in as if preparing to do battle. The purple fog parted before him as before, and he stopped before the sphere filled with light.

_Little kit, what brings you here to talk to me so suddenly?_

He suddenly growled, annoyed by this greeting. "You know exactly why I'm here, Kyuubi, don't try to hide it."

A soft chuckle rang out inside Naruto's mind. _Ah, you're right kit, I know everything. And my my, doesn't your anger blaze out at me. I didn't know I had committed such a serious offence. _

"Kyuubi, I'm not just angry, I'm irate."

_But I thought you would be happy, kit. After all, I did bring your boyfriend here as you asked._

Another growl came out from the base of Naruto's throat, sounding indisputably menacing. "He is not my boyfriend! He might have been in his past life, but he _isn't_ right now and I'll _thank _you to stop rubbing it in! And _how_ am I supposed to be happy when I find you trying to kill me, _and_ trying to break free, _AND_ trying to seduce MY Sasuke! I don't care if he isn't my boyfriend, I don't even care if he doesn't ever have feelings for me, just keep your paws OFF HIM!"

_Possessive, aren't you? _

"You bet your ass I'm possessive! I've waited more than a CENTURY for him!"

_So? A century is nothing to me. I've lived through-_

"Yes, yes, I know. Thousands of thousands of years, and been a terrorizing demon ever since you were a little kit. You're now the infamous Nine-Tailed Kyuubi, and Konoha's best shinobis hold a hunt for you every year, blah blah blah. You know, I could just kill myself and take you with me."

_You don't have the guts for it. And besides, your _BELOVED_ Sasuke is here, and you want to spend as much time as _POSSIBLE_ with him. -gag-_

"Pfft, you're just jealous. But really, you touch him, you and me both die."

_You and I, Naruto, not you and me._

"…You're really missing the point of this conversation, aren't you?"

_No, kit, I just like pushing your buttons. Even after a century I haven't tired of your reactions. You should be proud._

Naruto glared, but a glare's not really effective when the thing you're glaring at is a floating sphere… so he screwed his eyes shut and concentrated. A minute later the outline of a large fox with nine-tails started to show through, and a few moments later Kyuubi was towering over Naruto, his red eyes twinkling with somewhat-malicious amusement. The blonde opened his eyes now, looked up, and told him, "You're too big."

_Big is good when terrorizing is your main goal._

"But it isn't right now, and I'm getting a crick in the neck trying to look up at you. Shrink down already! And hopefully into something warm and cuddly…?"

The Kyuubi sniffed disdainfully. _What do you humans have with this warm and cuddly obsession? I just don't get it!_

But he obliged with Naruto's request, and a few moments later there was a little nine-tailed fox kit sitting on the floor, staring up at Naruto with large sunset-red eyes.

_Better?_

"Much. You know I can't get enough of you in this form."

_Hmph. I know, unfortunately. I haven't forgotten that incident with all that chasing yet, you know._ _Now you sit down, I'm starting to get a crick in _MY _neck. _

"Hehe, sure." Naruto sat down and held his arms out in an invitation; the Kyuubi, after thinking about it for a while, ran into his arms and sat on his lap, his tails wagging playfully.

_You know how much this would destroy my reputation if someone saw me in this form? _

"Yes, none, because you'd kill them before they could gasp in surprise." Naruto started rubbing the fox's soft fur, relishing the feel of it between his fingers. The Kyuubi, yes, the infamous Nine-Tailed Kyuubi, closed his eyes and mewled softly. (Great tremendous chorus of AWWWW's. Come on, let me hear it.)

_You've got a point there. Now, are you still mad at me?_

"Yes. After all, you tried to cause me great pain and suffering."

_But I didn't succeed, did I? And you got to kiss Sasuke afterwards. Take that into consideration. _

"…But he didn't kiss back!"

_You didn't push him hard enough! Now, if I had been in control-_

"You would have ravished him right there and I would have strangled you." There was a dangerous glint in Naruto's eye.

_Eep! -nervous laugh- Maybe I should get out of this form now…_

"What? Don't tell me you're _scared_!"

_Of course not. I just don't like you touching my fur._

"Oh really?" Naruto started caressing each and every one of the little fox's tails, and the Kyuubi just couldn't resist a small purr. The blonde heard it and laughed. "You _don't_ like it? Psht, tell a better lie next time."

_-grumble grumble-_ _Insolent brat. You weren't like this when we first made our souls into one… _

Naruto stopped stroking and Kyuubi stopped purring. "Of course I wasn't. I was more leaning towards suicidal and heartbroken if you remember."

_Oh, right. We aren't supposed to talk about it…_

"Uh huh." Silence prevailed over the room while Naruto spaced out, thinking about the past. "Well, I should go. And no, you can't come, because if Sasuke figures out who you are _HE'S_ likely to strangle you."

_Oh yeah… so you just expect me to stay here and rot? How boring._

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You can see everything from my eyes, even if I don't let you in my body. What are you grumbling on about? There, go on…" And with a little more prodding the little fox kit jumped off Naruto's lap and started fading back into light, his eyes the last to disappear. Naruto walked out of the room a little later, hearing the automatic lock click in after him.

-----

Sasuke sighed in bliss, Naruto had been right! The water never did grow cold! It was a miracle! He couldn't stop thinking with exclamation marks! But he should get out; otherwise, his skin would grow wrinkly with the water. He sighed, but slowly climbed out of the tub, grabbing a towel and rubbing himself dry before wrapping the cloth around his waist. When he looked back, there was no trace of water left in the immense bathtub and Sasuke had to blink twice before trusting his eyes.

-blink blink-

Yeah, the water was still not there. That was…unexpected.

Sasuke got over it quickly though, and pulled the cord that Naruto had showed him. Not one second later Naruto shuffled through the door, holding a pile of clothes in one hand and a pair of shoes in the other. Sasuke blanched. Those were his clothes. Those were his shoes. Except… his bloody clothes and shoes were still on the floor. How did Naruto replicate his clothes to perfection?

Naruto, oblivious as he was, didn't notice this. "Here Sasuke." He said, before dumping the clothes into Sasuke's arms and walking out.

-blink blink-

Sasuke decided not to question. He was getting new clothes. And ones that looked just like his own. Right down to his boxers…hmm. But he slipped them on, and, as expected, they fit perfectly. And! And they smelled like his clothes! Which was pretty unbelievable. Nobody knew his unique scent. Or if they knew, they couldn't replicate it. Only Sasuke knew what it consisted of, and he wasn't telling. So…how did Naruto know?

Well, there were two possible solutions. One: Sasuke had worn these clothes before, meaning Naruto had stolen his clothes from his mansion. Not very likely, though it was definitely a possibility.

Two: …Well, there wasn't really a two. Sasuke really didn't think anybody could reproduce his own smell. It wasn't conceit, it was the truth.

So…that didn't really explain anything. Sasuke sighed- there seemed to be a lot of things in this place that couldn't be explained. Why bother?

Sasuke walked out, dirty clothes in one hand, still trying to towel dry his hair with the other. It just became messier, not dryer. -grumble grumble- He found Naruto standing outside, in the hallway that made every single door look the same…

Naruto gave Sasuke a bright smile.

"What are you so happy about?" Sasuke muttered softly as he pushed his dirty things into Naruto's arms.

"Well, I'm not bored, so I'm happy!" Naruto carried them without complaint as he started to walk away. Sasuke followed at his own leisure pace.

"How does that work?"

"I have someone here to talk to. I have someone to help me waste away my time! So I'm not bored! And so I'm happy!"

Naruto flashed Sasuke a brilliant smile again and Sasuke squinted through the bright light it emitted. "So you're bored often?"

"Yep. The Kyuubi and I tire of each other's company sometimes, and we leave each other alone. But then I have no one to talk to! I try to take up my time, but, well, I can't sleep, I don't eat, and I'm hyper!"

"You…don't…sleep…or…eat…?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah. You didn't know? I thought they taught that stuff in the academy, all that about Kyuubi…"

"No, they…don't." Sasuke took a deep breath. Why was he reacting like this? Really, why? He should be remembering these facts and storing them in his mind for further use! Not gawking at them all shocked like this! But…they made Naruto just seem more inhuman. All the more like Kyuubi. All the more unreachable…

"Hey, Sasuke. Sasuke!"

"Hmm?" He looked up into worried eyes.

"Are you going to run away screaming now?"

"What gave you that idea?"

"W-Well," he said with that adorable stutter, "that's what usually happens, I guess, when my guests don't know that I don't need food or rest. And I stopped telling them, but I thought you might take it better…"

"Oh, so I'm special?" That made Sasuke feel better…

"Yeah, I guess you are. Though…well…" Sasuke hung onto his every word. "…nevermind."

"WHAT?"

"What?"

"You don't get to get me all excited like that and not tell me what you're thinking!"

Naruto let out a short snort. "Of course I can! You're living under MY roof! I can kick you out!"

"Yes, but then I'd be free and not stuck here! I'm not LIVING here, you're keeping me PRISONER!"

"Oh, so you'd rather go back to your precious VILLAGE than live here in luxury with ME?"

"YES! I'd choose that in an INSTANT!" It was almost a reflex, how Sasuke defended his village. Konoha needed him. And Konoha was always his first priority. Right?

RIGHT? Sasuke sighed wearily, then looked up to see the silent commotion before him. It was...scary.

Naruto's eyes flashed, his nostrils flared, and his lips thinned. Before Sasuke's surprised eyes, his eyes started to darken and flashes of red could be seen. His stance suggested danger and tension, and his hair seemed to stand up with all the electricity that was floating around in the air.

A loud crack tore the air. More strings tearing? Naruto didn't flinch a bit. Instead, he spoke. No, it wasn't he. The voice was different. More guttural and low. And on his cheeks…there were whisker marks.

"Stupid, stupid move to make, Uchiha Sasuke." the new voice called out. "Tutt tutt tutt. Way to stir up Naruto. But I do have to thank you. He hasn't let down his barriers this much ever since…well, a long time ago." A malicious smirk spread upon Naruto's face, looking brutally out of place there.

"You know who I am, don't you, Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sasuke tried to glare. "Of course. You're… the Kyuubi."

Another smirk. "You're right. And you know if I wanted to I could kill you right now, don't you?"

Sasuke gulped. That was the truth. "But you won't."

His eyes narrowed. "How do you know?"

"Because I'm Naruto's guest, aren't I? You didn't kill me during the hunt because you were going to bring me here, and now you're not going to kill me because Naruto would get mad…" That sounded pitiful even to Sasuke's ears. Why would the Kyuubi care if Naruto got mad, if he indeed got mad in the first place? He was his prisoner.

Kyuubi let out a short vicious laugh. "You're something, Uchiha Sasuke. You dare to talk back to the Nine-Tailed Kyuubi when you know Naruto's not going to save you…" He took a step forward. Sasuke stood his ground, and Kyuubi let out another laugh.

Then a second later Sasuke was pressed against a whitewashed wall, and Kyuubi was only two inches away, and Sasuke could see his eyes were a dark purple. Just like that room…

He glared, but then Kyuubi put an arm against his neck and pressed just slightly, cutting off some of his air.

"You know, I don't know _what_ Naruto _sees_ in you at ALL. I tell him to get a mate, a FEMALE one, and move on already! But he doesn't listen! Oh no! He just has to wait for his precious Sasuke!" Kyuubi wrinkled his nose. "Stupid baka Naruto…why wait for someone that already broke his heart?"

"W-What?" Sasuke just had to burst in on this. What was the Kyuubi TALKING ABOUT? "I b-broke his heart? But how?" His protests were steadily growing softer as his air was cut off more and more.

"Hmph. Useless mortal boy. You don't need to know this. And I guess I can't exactly kill you after all.." His arm came off and Sasuke coughed, needing the air. He tried to struggle against the Kyuubi's hold, (his arms were pinned to his sides and the Kyuubi's body was pressed up against his) but it was useless. The Kyuubi's hands felt like steel and his grip was crushing, a lot stronger than Naruto's.

"So then what _are_ you going to do?" Sasuke asked softly, his voice raspy.

"Hmm? Oh, you mean to you?" the Kyuubi smirked. How annoying was that expression? "I'm going to erase your memory. Otherwise Naruto will…well, I'm going to erase your memory."

With that Kyuubi clamped his mouth onto Sasuke's in a hungry kiss, and Sasuke tried hard to stay still. It wasn't as easy as when Naruto had kissed him. It was much more forceful, making it much harder to not respond. And both his arms were still pinned to the wall. He tried to struggle. It wasn't working. He closed his eyes and prayed this was going to be over quickly. Very, very quickly.

Then Sasuke felt something cold touch his forehead, and his eyes opened just in time for him to see that it was Kyuubi's slender finger before he fell unconscious. At the same time, Kyuubi gave Naruto back his control of his body just in time for him to catch Sasuke as he was falling. Naruto spent one moment in silence then started cursing the Kyuubi to hell and back.

"That bloody -censored censored censored- fox! -Censored- HIM! -censored censored-" And so on and so forth. All this loud swearing, however, did not cause Sasuke to stir a bit, and Naruto knew nothing was going to do that for a while, at least a few hours. And he just went on swearing as he carried the unconscious Sasuke in his arms, away to another room, where he threw the dark-haired Uchiha down on the bed almost callously, then turned to walk away, but then stopped. Naruto sighed. He was angry at the Uchiha, yes, terribly angry.

But he couldn't mistreat him. So Naruto turned back, took off Sasuke's shoes, and tucked him under the covers. The Uchiha could sleep in socks and shorts and all that. Naruto allowed the vicious part of his mind that one small victory.

-----

A/N: Well, that was long, at least for me. And I think it's moving very fast...hmm.

Thank you for reading, thank you very very much if you think you're going to continue reading. If you would like to, review. It would make me very happy.


	3. Memories

Disclaimer: Do I have to repeat this AGAIN? I don't own Naruto.

A/N: I just got through my third day of school. I have lots of homework. -sigh- High school is tiring. I need to get used to waking up at 5:30 everyday…anyways, this isn't about me, so on with the story.

-----

Naruto seemed to float in a trance all the way back to the Kyuubi's room, where he stood outside, unable to open the door. He was too emotional. Kyuubi would take advantage of his state of mind. Naruto slumped down onto the floor, head between his knees. His chest was aching from before. Those strings had snapped quite suddenly, and it hurt. It hurt because his heart was too raw. It hurt because he wasn't ready to be separated from the Kyuubi. It hurt because Sasuke brought back unwelcome memories from before.

_"No! Sasuke! Don't go!" Naruto clung to the raven-haired's arm, desperate to stop him. Sasuke just pried his fingers off one by one, cold and unemotional, unmoved by the blonde's pleas._

_"I have to, Naruto, it's my responsibility…" _

NO. He was not going to do this. He refused to let these memories to the surface. He refused to look on them. That was final.

Naruto took deep breaths, in, out, in, out, in, out. He needed to calm down. He needed to let go of his pain. He needed to live in the present. This Sasuke was not _his_ Sasuke. He didn't know what happened in the past. He didn't know what his presence, just his measly _presence_, did to Naruto's heart. Well, if he still had a heart. Or was that gone? Bound with the Kyuubi? He needed to breathe…

A small sound, the door beside him opening, rang through the white empty hallway, and Naruto knew it was just Kyuubi's way to let him know he was there. He could be silent if he wanted to, but right now he was being compassionate in a small way. Naruto was not surprised that Kyuubi, in his warm and cuddly form, was standing in front of him, tails waving, eyes hesitant. After all, the lock on the door was to keep other people from coming in, not to keep the fox demon from coming out. Naruto's will could do that, when the Kyuubi deemed to listen to his will.

_Aren't you going to lash out at me?_

Even though Naruto didn't know, or maybe he did but wasn't showing, the Kyuubi was disturbed. This wasn't his Naruto. His Naruto was brash and didn't mind screaming and swearing at him if he was angry. Which the Kyuubi knew he was. He had stolen Sasuke's kiss, after all. It was cheap of him. He hadn't needed that kiss to erase the raven-haired's memory. He just wanted it. And Naruto knew the reason too…

"No. I'm officially simmering."

The Kyuubi's little nose twitched. Simmering wasn't a good thing. It meant revenge was coming, later. He preferred Naruto when the blonde wasn't scheming. Because Naruto knew him. He knew what could scare the Kyuubi. There wasn't much, but there was still some. He knew because they had been together for more than a century, more than any other of Kyuubi's human vessels. And because of that bond, Naruto wouldn't hesitate to hurt the Kyuubi. Not when a little of the Kyuubi's ruthless streak had been passed onto him.

_...I shouldn't have done that, I know._

Naruto still didn't look him in the eye. "I know why you did. And I'm still furious. Furiously jealous."

The Kyuubi didn't get it. Jealous? Of himself? Why? He still had a chance with his love. Kyuubi didn't. He… well, he didn't have a chance at all.

_Why?_

"He kissed back for you. I could feel it."

…_Baka, I forced him to. I needed him to kiss back._

Naruto's now blue eyes looked into the Kyuubi's red ones. The blonde tried to force a smile onto his lips. "Did he taste like him?"

The Kyuubi's eyes drifted shut, his tails stilling. He licked his lips slowly, his pink tongue darting out just enough to be seen.

_Yes. He did taste like him. Like blood, and sweat, and hard work and genius. Like metal and sharp edges and a little bit of cruelty and power thrown in. Well, perhaps not the cruelty. _

"Of course not. Sasuke's not like Itachi. He's different. He's nicer." The two of them smiled almost timidly at each other as Kyuubi opened his eyes again.

_It's twisted, isn't it, kit? How…_

"How we've blended into each other?"

_Yes. Love is a human emotion, you know._

"I know. And you've fallen for a darker version of my love…that _is_ twisted."

_You think? But…you don't mind, do you?_

"About…?"

_Me kissing Sasuke. Itachi. The whole situation._

There was a brief silence. "With Sasuke, of course I mind. But I'll forgive you. As soon as my brain can get the concept that it was just a kiss into my head. And after I get my small petty revenge. And with Itachi…I used to. I used to mind very much. When I first saw you could be…tamed, I guess would be the right word for it. Tamed by someone other than me. When I saw you were willing to give him power. When I saw he was using you for power and didn't feel anything for you, in either fox or human form. When you overpowered me and controlled my body just to seduce him. Yes, I did mind then."

More silence. It was painful for the both of them to go over this. They both knew the truth about their messed up lives. Sasuke, Itachi, Naruto, Kyuubi. They both knew, in some subconscious, how it would turn out. How it was supposed to turn out.

They burned out those facts.

The Kyuubi knew Itachi cared only for his power, and that he shouldn't be feeling this attachment, but he disregarded his cunning mind for once and just did what made him happy.

Naruto knew even if Sasuke loved him, this Sasuke, the present Sasuke, and wouldn't abandon him for anything in the world, he knew it was hopeless. He would die if separated from the Kyuubi. And so to save Sasuke, he would have to die. He just didn't care. Sasuke was, for the moment, here, and Naruto was happy to see him, even without his love, just to see his face, after an absence of a century.

The Kyuubi waved his tails unhappily, remembering that tumultuous time.

_Do you still mind?_

"No, I guess I don't. After all, I've got Sasuke now, and when you were happy with Itachi, I was happy too. Though, after that night, my butt _really_ hurt…"

_Hehe, right, sorry._

"Yeah right you're sorry. And waking up naked and being curled up to Itachi?" Naruto shuddered. "That was scary. And he kissed me-"

_He. Kissed. YOU!_

"We're even, remember? And you're even more possessive than me…"

_That is true. But then, I have animal instincts._

"Oh, so that gives you an excuse?"

…_Of course._

Naruto snorted in disbelief, but then his features subsided back into passiveness. "You always manage to distract me."

_What, me?_

"Yes. When I'm mad or sad or anything. You put the calm back into me…well, when you're not taking advantage of my emotional turmoil."

_Of course. I have to take care of you, don't I? _

"No you don't," Naruto said childishly, "I can take care of myself."

Kyuubi smiled and jumped into the blonde's lap, tails waving once more. _You're so stubborn, you know that? And so patient too…perhaps it's just my influence, giving you temporary immortality and all, but I don't believe so. You would be willing to wait for Sasuke anyways, wouldn't you? _

Naruto fumbled with his fingers, embarrassed. "No, not really. I doubt if you hadn't given me this chance and told me that Sasuke would come back, I doubt I would have waited a smidge. After all, I was ready to kill myself, don't you remember?"

_Ahh, yes. That was foolish of you to chase after me, you know. _

"But I wanted to die. And I knew you would kill me. Except… you didn't. I'm glad you didn't."

_Hmph. I needed a human body. You were willing to throw away your life. That was it. _

"Ok, if you say so. But I'm still glad."

The two of them sat there, not knowing what to say. After all, how do you carry on a conversation like this? It was almost to the point of absurd. So they didn't say anything more.

-----

_Sasuke tried to run. He really did. But his legs weren't obeying him. He could only back away slowly from the obliteratingly cruel scene in front of him. Blood was splattered across and staining every surface. _

_He knew whose blood it was. He knew…_

_Sasuke dropped his bag onto the bloody floor, still slowly backing away. Who had done this? Who would have the strength? The Uchihas had protected Konoha for who knows how long, and there had never been a massacre like this…_

_He heard something and froze. Something other than the drip drip of blood, steadying taking over the walls and floorboards and ceilings. Something other than the soft shuffle of his footsteps. Something akin to a voice, calling out to him from a familiar hallway. The hallway his parents' bedrooms were. Should he go? What if it was the murderer? But then, what if it was his mother or father, having survived the attack? What should he do? _

_He listened, then thought he heard the sound of his name…_

_"Sasuke…" the voice whispered, seducing him into walking, walking even though his mind had not ordered it; his body was just moving on its own. He floated down the dark corridor in this fashion, his eyes almost blank. He floated down to the door of his parents' bedroom before pausing, seemingly coming to himself. _

_The voice was silent, and Sasuke wondered if it had been a figment of his imagination. Perhaps yes, perhaps no. But he was in front of the door now. And he should go in. He would be a coward to come this far and not to. Still, his hand trembled as it reached for the door. He pulled it back slowly, staring at the floor, afraid of what he would see. _

_Sasuke finally raised his eyes to glance into the room, and screamed. He could see his mother's raven hair, long, silky locks covered with slick crimson blood. He could see his father's eyes, staring up at him from his long lifeless face. He could see their limbs, bodies, fingers, arms, legs, a foot, a back, a chest, tangled and hacked off and swirling in his vision. The moonlight shone down on them from the window. The moonlight just made the scene all the more preternatural, something that wasn't there, couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't be there if Sasuke blinked. Yes, it would all disappear if he blinked… _

_The five-year old closed his eyes, stopped the inhuman shriek emanating from his throat, and breathed. This was just a bad dream, that's all. All just a nightmare. He opened his eyes. _

_This was not a nightmare. This was reality. He stared, and stared, and stared, still refusing to believe it. His body reacted before his mind registered. He fell forward onto his knees, head only inches off the floor and the blood, and Sasuke threw up all that was in his stomach. It mixed horribly with the crimson liquid now staining his hands, his knees, his shoes…everything. _

_His own harsh breathing was all that Sasuke could hear as he tried to find a way around this, to twist the reality so it wouldn't break him to sharp tiny pieces. His mind latched onto a single thought. _

_WHO HAD DONE THIS? _

_It repeated over and over, the sickening question Sasuke did not want to face. _

_WHO HAD DONE THIS? _

_He was like a broken record, the scattered phrase imprinted onto his soul. _

_WHO HAD DONE THIS?_

_A soft noise, a rustling of some sort, caused him to look up. _

_WHO HAD DONE THIS? _

_His eyes caught a pair of blood-red ones, icy ones full of hate. _

_WHO HAD DONE THIS? _

_Sasuke's mind still couldn't catch up. He was still irrevocably stuck on that one question as the figure before him stepped from the darkness into the moonlight, and Sasuke stared at a face that was too familiar to him. _

_WHO HAD DONE THIS? _

_"I-Itachi nii-san?" He recognized the familiar face. What he did not recognize were those eyes, that hateful stare, that blood-stained sword…_

_WHO HAD DONE THIS? _

_And Sasuke's mind finally came up with the answer to the pounding question. _

_ITACHI. _

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A/N: Um, right, a sort of cliffhanger? I'll try to update soon. This was short…oh, and thank you all tremendously for the reviews. They helped me pull the motivation for this out of my sleep-deprived mind. So, thank you.


	4. Same

Disclaimer: I do not and will not own Naruto.

A/N: High school is A PAIN. I'm getting, on average, 6 hours of sleep a night! So these updates will unfortunately come slower, but I will try to write whenever I can. (Meaning, during all my classes when I get a spare minute…hehe)

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_Sasuke's mind whirled, what right had he to accuse his older brother? Most likely Itachi had killed the murderer and avenged the Uchiha clan with that sword in his hand…but then why was Itachi advancing towards him, the blood on his sword dripping onto the floor with each step? Sasuke couldn't shake off the voice in his head that told him something was wrong, that Itachi shouldn't be acting like this, that his older brother was the murderer of his clan. _

_It couldn't be right. It wasn't the least bit possible. Itachi had no reason to kill his own _family_! He had no reason to be lifting his sword in an eager way towards his little brother, looking ready to finish it off… _

_Sasuke took an involuntary step back, his hand reaching out to grasp the open screened door. He must have shown some of his fear, for Itachi suddenly laughed. "Yes, little brother, your suspicions are quite correct." _

_As he advanced Itachi started to tower over the 5-year old; there was a 10 year age and 3 feet height difference between the two brothers. He suddenly became a black shadow silhouetted by the moonlight, his figure all darkness except for his piercing eyes and the crimson blood still dripping, making the only sound heard by Sasuke's ears. That, and his own haggard breathing, which was quickly approaching hyperventilation. If he was correct, then…Itachi was the murderer. This revelation pushed itself through his brain, this conformation of his deepest fears. Those fears stirred in him, and he panicked inside. But he stood still, willing his trembling legs into unmoving pillars. _

_Even now a promise made itself known, and he grasped onto it. He would avenge his family. He would…kill his brother. Somehow. And to do that he needed to survive this. He _would_ survive this. Yes, because now he had a purpose. And while that needed to be finished he couldn't die. _

_Sasuke swallowed suddenly, wondering why Itachi wasn't doing anything. If he indeed had killed his uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, godparents, parents…everybody, then killing Sasuke would be nothing at all._

_Was this really real? Really his life and not really a sick hallucination? Sasuke would infinitely preferred insanity to this harsh reality. _

_The shadow that was Itachi shifted, sending Sasuke's young yet still very sharp senses into immediate attention. "Why do you not run, little brother? You know you have no chance against me." _

_He wanted an answer, and Sasuke opened his mouth, the words surprisingly coming out easily. "I don't want to die. I really don't. It scares me. You scare me. But if I have no chance now, what chance would I have even if I were to run?" _

_Was he out of his mind to talk like this when he was about to die at any second? Sasuke didn't know. He was 5-years old, and the concept of life was just stretching out before him. He hadn't even thought about death before this. There was no reason to. _

_But now Itachi was laughing again, and Sasuke knew Death was right in front of him, just a few steps away, his sword poised to strike. He couldn't move. _

_"Sasuke, you would have a very good chance. This afternoon has been…boring. Fun while it lasted, yes, but quite boring now. I'll give you a minute head start." Even though Itachi was darkness, Sasuke knew his nii-san was smirking. _

_When Sasuke didn't move, Itachi spoke again. "Sasuke, seriously, would you like me to kill you right now?" The sword tip swung up. "Or would you like a minute more to live? Your choice. I don't care what you choose, but it'll be more entertaining for me if you run." The shadow moved again, shifted on its feet, seemingly relaxed. Sasuke knew it was a ploy to distract him, and that the promise of a minute to live was just nothing but a lie. Itachi had killed their family. Why should anything he says be true? _

_Then Itachi threw a kunai at his head, and Sasuke dodged, the instincts and reflexes of an Uchiha, however young, coming into play. He wanted to live, and Itachi knew it, and sent a steady stream of kunais out, among other sharp objects. He forced Sasuke to start running, out of their parents' rooms and into the hallway, where Itachi whispered, "A minute to live, little brother. You better make use of it." _

_Sasuke's legs just couldn't seem to stop running. His survival instinct had taken over and was using the precious minute to get as far away from Itachi, from Death, as he could possibly go. And away from this blood that was everywhere, from the bodies, some starting to decompose, some as fresh as from a half hour ago. He sped past them, the flesh becoming a pale blur stained dark by blood, and Sasuke resisted the urge to throw up. But he needed fresh air, or that urge would overcome him very soon. _

_His short 5-year old legs tore out of the Uchiha mansion and down a long-traveled road. This was to a meadow, where he usually trained, or where he watched his older brother train…no, he had no older brother now. He had no older brother who had killed their whole family in cold blood for a reason 5-year old Sasuke couldn't fathom. He didn't have an older brother who looked remarkably like him, the same skin and features and hair, all the same except the sizes of their bodies and their eyes. He didn't have an older brother who was coming to kill him, in however many seconds he had left. _

_30 seconds to live? 20? Less? Sasuke raced down the pace, thoughts of his death occupying his mind. _

_Something happened then. Uchiha Sasuke tripped and fell on the path, scraping his cheek on dirt and sticks and stone. He tried to pull himself up, but Death had caught up to him. He looked up to see blood-colored eyes and a raised sword. He closed his eyes in expectation and heard the soft, "Die, Sasuke." that Itachi uttered. _

_The 5-year old screamed. This was his DEATH. He was SCA-_

"SASUKE, SASUKE, are you OK! Tell me you are!"

_-RED. _

Wait…who _was_ that? Someone was shaking him, bringing him out of his dreamland. The nightmare was slipping away…and Sasuke had the vague feeling that someone was sitting on top of him.

He opened his eyes sluggishly and struggled to keep them open; his body unnaturally tired today. His distinguished a shadow above him, silhouetted by the moon, and tried to push him off. It was too much like the dream. Except this shadow wouldn't go away.

"Sasuke, speak to me! Are you alright?"

Who was this guy? Sasuke didn't recognize the voice, nor did he recognize the blue eyes looking down at him, those eyes that glowed in the dark. And…that blonde hair, just the tips of it illuminated by the moon. Wait. They reminded him of something…someone…and his thoughts inexplicably flew back to that day, 10 years ago, with Itachi bearing down on him, ready to kill. But there hadn't been anyone else!

…Had there?

Sasuke shook his head to clear his thoughts, and the next thing he knew, he was being shaken by the boy (well, he didn't know that it was actually a boy, but the voice sounded more masculine than feminine) on top of him.

"Sasuke, you aren't all right? Where are you hurt? I heard your screaming, and-"

"I am FINE, ok?" Sasuke didn't know who why this guy was so concerned or how he had gotten into his bedroom, but he had no need of a guy going into hysterics on top of him.

While the guy seemed to calm down, Sasuke took the time to look around, and that nagging suspicion that something was wrong was confirmed. He wasn't in his bedroom. In fact, he didn't know WHERE he was. Not in the hospital. Not in a hotel. Not outside. So, that meant, he was somewhere he didn't know and he had no idea how he had gotten there.

He pushed his memory back, back, back, until he remembered something. The Annual Hunt. The Kyuubi separating him somehow from all his comrades. His tenseness, knowing Death was in front of him, the second time in his 15-year old life. And yet he hadn't died this time either.

No, he was alive, in what he supposed was the Kyuubi's mansion, and in the tradition of all those other boys…oh no.

The blonde was now peering into his face worriedly, sensing the turmoil within his thoughts. If he was in the Kyuubi's mansion, then this must be the Kyuubi's human form…the one that turned straight boys down the path of homosexuality.

Sasuke shoved the blonde away forcefully so that he tumbled from the bed onto the floor, where he stood up, puzzled by the raven-haired boy's actions. Why was Sasuke doing this…?

"Get away from me!" Sasuke's voice was loud and icy, and Naruto sensed he was trying to control his emotions, but there was still that trace of panic in his voice. "Take me back! Take me back right now!"

When Sasuke was panicked he issued orders, his eyes flickered from left to right nervously, and he seemed smaller somehow. But why was he doing this? Sasuke knew he wouldn't do anything to harm him…so why was he acting like this?

_Um…kit?_

And _why_ was the Kyuubi talking to him at a time like this?

'Yes?'

_I might have erased all of his memories of you…_

'What!'

_Yeah, so he doesn't remember you right now…_

So _that _was the reason? But it would get straightened out soon, right? After all, yesterday had gone fine, when they had first met…so tonight would go fine too.

Naruto stood up and reached out a hand, crawling forward onto the bed until his fingers just barely touched Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke looked all the more cornered by this, although Naruto tried his best to look non-threatening. He just couldn't get why the Uchiha was just so SCARED of him!

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice was the rustle of smooth silk over skin, comforting, hypnotizing, serene. "Calm down, Sasuke…"

Sasuke didn't trust that voice. It was too mesmerizing! This blonde was trying to trick him!

"NO!" He needed to get away, that was all he knew. He needed to get back to Konoha, and he needed it now! "You won't get to me, I say! You WON'T!"

Naruto shrank back, scared of that harsh voice. What could he do!

Sasuke's eyes blazed in the darkness, his voice still babbling on. "I REFUSE to fall in love with you! You won't TRICK me like you did those other BOYS. YOU WILL NOT MAKE ME! I have a FIANCE waiting for me in Konoha, and I will NOT get ATTACHED to YOU! SO TAKE ME BACK!"

Naruto stumbled back through the dark room, his traitorous ears catching all of what Sasuke was saying. F-F-Fiance? W-Who?

A silence settled over the room. Sasuke had gotten back control of his mouth and was berating himself for spilling so much information. Now the Kyuubi's human form knew just how desperate he was and could take advantage of him just that much faster. Except…the blonde beside him didn't seem so threatening now. He had stepped into the moonlight and his features were now visible. In fact, the blonde seemed scared, and scared of HIM. Maybe this was just another prisoner, not from Konoha, that he knew, but maybe from another village…

Maybe he had jumped to conclusions too quickly. But the blonde would understand, wouldn't he? He had been scared. The last thing he remembered was the Kyuubi. Now he had woken up here, in a strange bed in a strange room, with this shadow looming over him just when a shadow in his nightmare had been about to kill him. Yes, Sasuke would explain all this and this blonde would understand.

Now it was Sasuke who reached out to the blonde, tentatively, whispering soft apologies to him. But Naruto shrank back from that hand and that voice and instead asked, "Y-You're engaged?"

Sasuke blinked; what a weird question to ask! He supposed he should answer it though, if it would calm the blonde down. So he let his hand dropand answered, "Yes, in my village, Konoha, I'm engaged to a girl named Hyuuga Hinata. She is of the illustrious Hyuuga clan, and our child shall have both the Byakugan and the Sharigan. Our clans will unite."

Naruto told himself he should've expected this. He should've known that Sasuke would have found someone else. After all, why wait for someone you have no knowledge of? Why wait for someone who doesn't exist? And yet, and yet! Naruto was crushed utterly.

_Kit, be strong. You don't know the whole situation yet. Don't think morbid thoughts. _

Yes, the Kyuubi was right. He shouldn't jump to conclusions yet, especially if each and every one of them was breaking his heart. He should just ask Sasuke, right? Then he would get the truth and then he would react… Naruto took a deep breath and managed to stutter out the question that would either make or break him.

"D-Do you l-love her?"

Sasuke frowned; this complete stranger had no reason to pry into his life! And then his mind moved back and heard that voice that was inexplicably worried and those eyes that were inexplicably frantic. Perhaps this was not just a stranger after all. He decided to answer the question truthfully.

"I do not. Though I believe I could get along with Hinata-chan enough for us to marry and live together, all I want to achieve by this is to unite our two clans and make sure the Sharingan lives on. I have no feelings for her."

So Sasuke wasn't in love? Naruto's heart lifted a little. Sasuke's next words smashed it back down again.

"So you realize why I acted like I did? I do not want the Kyuubi's human counterpart, supposedly the 'blonde angel', to corrupt my heart and veer me away from my chosen path. I will live and marry without love, to carry on my clan. And so, let me ask, _are_ you the Kyuubi's human half? Or are you just another prisoner like me?"

What could the blonde say? Yes, I am the Kyuubi's human half and I'm in love with you and if you say you'll never love me I'll kill myself? Out of the question. And so, Naruto repeated something he had said before to Sasuke.

"I'm a prisoner of the Kyuubi…" He trailed off as a happy expression overcame Sasuke's face. Was he really this happy because of his half-lie? It seemed twisted somehow…

"Which village did you come from?"

Could he lie? No, he really couldn't, not when Sasuke trusted him so much… "Konoha."

A frown made itself known on Sasuke's smooth brow. "Konoha? But I've never seen you in my life…"

Yes you have, Naruto was very tempted to say. He could remember that night, about 10 years ago, vividly well. Sasuke probably didn't. Or at least not that part of it.

"I was brought here a long time ago." He still wasn't outright lying, Naruto noted with relief. He didn't have to yet. "You probably don't remember me…"

Sasuke found this a little hard to believe. How would he ever be able to forget that combination of golden hair and blue eyes? The moonlight made his face a little spooky, paling all of his features as to make him perhaps a supernatural vision, and Sasuke found his mind once again drifting back to that bloody night when he had been miraculously rescued from Death for the first time. He told his thoughts to get back into line. That night obviously had nothing at all to do with the blonde in front of him. Nothing at all.

He hid the turmoil within his thoughts and replied, "Oh, I see."

Naruto gave him a little smile, thinking that perhaps the question session might be over for now.

"How do you know my name? And what's yours?"

And perhaps not. But the first part was easy enough to answer.

"Everybody knows your name. You're the famous Uchiha Sasuke, one of the two only surviving Uchihas in the land. Even I, being trapped in this house, has heard news of you, mostly of other prisoners."

"Are there other prisoners here?"

Naruto shook his head slowly. "No, only you and I. You will be sent back to Konoha soon enough," That still wasn't a lie, really. Soon enough interpreted with a 100-year life-span could turn out to be a long time. "-and I will stay here."

"But why? Why do you have to stay?"

"…Nobody in Konoha wants me to come back, trust me. Since nobody wants my return, the Kyuubi doesn't grant it."

Sasuke seemed to think about this for a moment. "But that isn't fair…"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. That was an…interesting way to look at it. It certainly brought back old memories. But of course, his face betrayed nothing. "Why would I want to go back to people who would only hate and ridicule me?"

"Is it any better to stay trapped inside this house for all time? And what was your name again?" This was a not-so-subtle reminder that Naruto still hadn't answered the second part of Sasuke's original question.

Naruto debated between hiding and revealing his name. What if Sasuke recognized it and realized he was the "blonde angel" he was so disgusted with?

_They erased your name from their records a long time ago, kit. He won't recognize it._

'Oh, I see…'

Of course the village would have erased all traces of him once he had gone over to the 'dark side'.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. And yes, it is better to stay trapped inside this house. The blonde angel you refer to so casually is actually _nice_ to me, better than anybody else, really." No need to say that the blonde angel was himself.

Sasuke lifted a skeptical brow. "Can a demon really _be_ nice?"

Naruto colored at the accusation. Did everybody think this way? Did everybody believe that he was a demon just like Kyuubi? He was silent in thought.

Sasuke went on after a little while, seeing Naruto wasn't going to answer his question anytime soon. "But even without that argument, I would hate being stuck here in this house. And where are we, anyways?"

He swept the covers off the bed and stood up, walking to the window and looking out, expecting to see forest or something. Instead, he was surprised to see other houses, familiar houses, like ones in…Sasuke frowned further in confusion.

"The landscape is an illusion, all except the sun and the moon. The rest is supposed to be your most favorite place in the world. What do you see?"

Oh, so that's what it was. "Konoha…" Sasuke answered, not thrown off track anymore. "What do you see?"

The blonde was standing beside him now, looking through the window too with a wistful smile, and Sasuke found a longing to give him whatever he wanted.

"A place I can never go back to…" Naruto gazed out the window into his most favorite place in the world, and a, no, _the_ memory came back to him, startling in its vividness.

He had been only 7 then, and it had been storming that night and he couldn't sleep. His little room was in the attic of the ninja academy and the noises of the night were always amplified in there, not muffled. He had laid in bed, wondering what to do, when he had decided to drag his mat and blanket down to the academy itself and to sleep in one of the classrooms. He would just get up and move back before the school started in the morning.

So with that goal in mind, he had walked slowly down the steep and rickety staircase from the attic down to the second floor, just to stop suddenly as he heard a thumping noise that couldn't possibly be caused by the pouring rain outside. He had dropped the stuff he carried out of fear, wondering who would be here at this time of night, and the blonde felt the incurable urge to run back to his room as fast as he could and bury himself under the covers.

Yes, he was a scaredy-cat. Who wouldn't be in the middle of the night with a stranger a few dark rooms away? Just as he was about to listen to his urge and scatter, the thumps had stopped and a door had slammed open halfway down the hall.

A strangled yelp had come from his throat, and he had been riveted to the floor by the sudden unexpected noise. The school was dark, and his night vision had only made out an outline as someone stepped through the opened door, one Naruto realized led into a training room.

"Who are you?" The outline had hissed out, his voice bitingly accusing. "What are you doing here?"

"U-Uzumaki Naruto." He had murmured back, quaking in his hand-me-down pajamas. "I-I live here…"

The outline moved closer and Naruto had distinguished a boy not much taller than him, his eyes hidden behind his hair.

"You _live_ here?" The contempt was clear. "That's ridiculous! Nobody would _live_ here!"

He had stumbled back a few steps, gnawing on his bottom lip. The conviction in that voice was too strong!

Several silent moments later, the boy in front of him demanded, "Well? What are you _really_ doing here?"

Now those eyes came into view as he was treated to a death glare, not the first he had ever received, but definitely the most potent. The sharpness in those eyes was unmistakable, as was the hate.

"I-I was scared of the storm, and the thunder is really l-loud up there…" He had pointed up the stairs behind him, to where his attic room was. "S-So I thought I could maybe sleep down here tonight…"

He had to try the truth, hadn't he?

Of course, he also knew the truth would not be taken well.

"Do you really think I would believe something like that? There is no way you could be living up there; my parents wouldn't allow that. They always give orphans a good family to live with, and you are no exception!"

"Oh, but what if no one wants me?"

The boy's mouth was hanging open, and for some reason he seemed shocked. Naruto wondered why. And what was that about his parents not allowing…? Wait. No, it couldn't be-

"What do you mean no one wants you?" The boy positively snarled. "Why would any family in Konoha reject you? Haven't you heard about that sickness a few years back? Most of the kids were killed! Almost all the families in this village would die to have a child to raise, orphan or not, and especially a boy!"

The reply was snarled back just as viciously. "What if I was pronounced bad luck and misery the moment I was found in the village? What if I was cursed to do horrible things in a few years, horrible things that I have no knowledge of and yet have to suffer for now? What if nobody _wanted_ such a _devil's_ child, huh? What if I was _really _ignored and hated and PITIED!"

Naruto stopped talking to take a deep breath, knowing his first impression as an innocent little child had been ruined. He was not innocent at the least. No, that had been stripped from him the first time he had overheard the story of his coming to Konoha, to the prophecy the great Uchiha Fugaku had pronounced, the prophecy that had doomed him for life. He had then understood why he was sleeping on the hard floors of the ninja academy, why there were whispers and glares wherever he went, why he was alone in this harsh cruel world.

He had been so caught up with rehashing his grievances that he hadn't noticed the boy in front of him stepping up until they were only inches away. Naruto felt his breath on his face and looked up, flinching at their closeness.

"I'm sorry…" the dark-eyed boy intoned, his voice indeed sorrowful, "I guess I shouldn't have doubted you…"

Oh, was he going to pity him too? Naruto huffed, he didn't need this boy's pity! He could take care of himself! Even when it was freezing cold and terrifying alone, and he was scared out of his wits, he could take care o-

"It's unfair." Naruto's harsh thoughts came to an abrupt halt with that short phrase.

"W-What? What's unfair?" The blonde found himself staring through the darkness at the strange boy.

"What do you think? The village's treatment of you! No one should have to endure something like that! Especially not a child!"

Naruto took a step back, very much affected by this starkly different attitude. I-It _wasn't _pity? He thought it was unf-fair? Throughout his short life, the villagers had never _ever_ said anything like that to him. They gave him weak smiles, whispered behind his back, and stuttered when they were forced to make conversation. They were too afraid of the consequences of his anger few years down the road if they should throw him out and also too afraid of him and his foretold future to get close to him. He could see their pity and condemnation in their eyes.

There was no pity in this boy. There was no condemnation. There was only anger.

Naruto shrank back before realizing that anger was directed towards the villagers and not towards himself as he had first thought.

"What is your name?" He breathed quietly, longing to know the name of this special boy.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto had recognized it immediately, of course. Uchiha Sasuke was the only child of Uchiha Fugaku and the second pregnancy; the first one had turned into a miscarriage. He was the bright hope for Konoha's future and, even at 7 years old, had been named a tensai.

Naruto knew he should have hated this boy who was everything he was not – accepted and loved, wanted and needed. He should have glared at this boy who was the son of the man who had cursed him and told him to get out. But he had known, even then, that he could not hate Uchiha Sasuke. His 7-year old mind had grasped that Uchiha Sasuke might perhaps become a friend, a ray of sunshine, a will to live. Naruto needed that. Naruto needed Uchiha Sasuke.

That had been the first time he had ever met Sasuke, in that dark hallway with a storm raging outside. In his mind, that storm had dwindled to nothingness, his fear gone, because for the first time a light had shone down on him.

That place had become his most favorite place, his special place. It had witnessed many things beside just their first meeting…friendship…smiles…kisses…their first night together…love… – they had all merged together under that wooden roof into a single, almost tangible, memory.

Sasuke watched Uzumaki Naruto's face undergo a strange change as he stared out the window at probably his favorite place, and he shifted uncomfortably to be near this boy that wore his heart on his sleeve.

The blonde's lips were lifting into a shaky smile radiating belief and hope for the future, yet his eyes were dimming with each second, weighed down by an immeasurable sadness. How could two such conflicting emotions be expressed so intensely on only one face?

Then the blonde's eyes flickered over to his face and Sasuke found himself under careful scrutiny. He couldn't help staring right back at this Naruto, wanting to know just what was behind that expression he had held a moment before.

Naruto gazed at Uchiha Sasuke's features, _his_ Sasuke's, and knew he could never let the raven-haired boy go. Sasuke looked the same as before. He thought the same way as before. He _was_ the same person, the same _soul_ as before.

And if Naruto had needed him when he was only seven years old, he needed him much much more now. No matter he was engaged to Hinata back home. Sasuke wasn't in love, and that was enough. Hinata didn't need Sasuke as much as he did…

Sasuke watched closely as Uzumaki Naruto's hand rose silently to his face and felt his rough fingertips stroke his cheek, and wondered just what was making the blonde so happy. What had erased the sadness from those perfect features? …Perfect…? Where had that come from? The only time he had heard that description was from those kidnapped boys coming back to Konoh-

With indescribable conviction, Sasuke _knew_ the boy in front of him was the blonde angel, Kyuubi's vessel. Uzumaki Naruto had lied to him. And he had believed it.

A wave of hate overcame Sasuke, hate mixed with anger and hurt pride and a sense that hating this boy was what he should do, that if he didn't have a death wish against this threat to Konoha he would be betraying his village…

But before his features could change and harden, before he could push Uzumaki Naruto away from him and do something, anything! to get the blonde back for deceiving him and trapping him in here, a snap sounded from Naruto's chest.

The blonde flinched and retracted his hand. Another snap. The blonde pressed both hands over his heart. Another. And another. And another. A permanent expression of pain was etched into the blonde's features, he fell onto his knees and then toppled over onto the floor, curling up immediately. Sasuke watched with first surprise, then unease, and now fright as he bent over the blonde boy. His fright turned into terror, a terror greatly overriding his hate as coughs wracked Naruto's body, great hacking coughs that were getting worse and worse as the snaps became louder and louder.

Why he was this terrified for the Kyuubi's vessel Sasuke didn't know and didn't question; the only matter on his mind was how to stop the pain. He scooped Naruto into his arms as he sat down on the floor and pressed the boy's face into his shirt, rocking him gently and murmuring soothing sounds.

When he looked at his shirt a moment later, wondering why it seemed wet, he found blood seeping through the fabric. Naruto was coughing up _blood._

Sasuke panicked, there was _nothing _he could do to help! He could only _watch_ as Naruto went through this excruciating pain! And that terrified him more than anything else…

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Mizuki hikari: Thank you for reviewing! (You were the first for the third chapter) I shall definitely continue, and struggle to finish this even through writer's block (which I experienced this week) because I've actually got the plot planned out…amazing, huh?

karone-sakura: Shie shie! Merci! Arigatou! Thank you! (I am Chinese, take French in school, know snatches of Japanese, and I speak English. Too many versions of thank you running around in my head…) I hope this chapter was up to standard too!

Crimson Wolf Fang: Oh yes, I very much plan to have Sasuke unearth the memories from his past life, piece by piece…

DemonRogue: Thank you. You should read Sparrows in a Bright Place by Sunfreak, it's in my favorites. I love how that author writes about Naruto and Kyuubi's relationship, and the one-shot is also just fantastic in every way.

chibicrack: -hug back- I'm starting high school too this year… and I'm glad you liked my portrayal of Sasuke finding out about his clan's massacre. It means a lot to me. And yes, I've fallen in love with Kyuubi/Itachi…although I might keep that pairing strictly in this story. If I write about it too much with one-shots and whatnot I might lose interest in it and I don't want that…

Mantineus: Arigatou! Hope you liked this chapter too!

galerian57: -hands you Sasuke plushie that is using the famous Uchiha glare of death- But it magically turns into a grin when faced with the Naruto plushie! (That I will be handing out next time) Thank you for reviewing!


	5. Will You Be Happy?

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto. Wish I did. Maybe as a birthday present? (which, btw, is in April) But I suppose not…

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Naruto stopped coughing and fell unconscious a while later, his head on Sasuke's lap and his blood all over his clothes. After a moment of stunning quiet, the Uchiha shoved the blonde away from him, scooting away almost frantically.

Had he…? Had he just felt worry for the Kyuubi's container just then? No…no he couldn't have. Not in a million years could he have worried about such a dangerous threat to his village. Though…the sun was just on the horizon now and light was spreading across the sky, a little bit coming through the window, and in the light of the window…Naruto didn't look like a dangerous threat. No, he looked sickly under that permanent tanned skin of his, and he was sprawled like an abandoned toy, a toy that was broken and had been casually thrown away without a second thought. The blood on his hands and dotted around his lips didn't help Sasuke's growing-by-the-minute guilt either. The raven-haired boy crawled back to the motionless blonde, accepting the truth. Yes, he had been worried. Yes, he was still worried.

But to justify his worry, it was for Naruto, the angel, the human, _not_ for the Kyuubi's vessel. The guilt in his heart diminished as he cradled the blonde's head in his lap, smoothing away the stray locks of hair from Naruto's brow and wiping the blood off those pink lips with his shirt. He looked so vulnerable like this, but also so peaceful – his brow was smooth, not creased and tense as it had been a few minutes ago. Sasuke took one of the blonde's hands in both his own, wiping the blood off then tracing the lines on his palm with a gentle finger. He had such warm hands, such soft skin. His fingers were slim, his fingernails just a little bit sharp. His other hand was the same.

Now Sasuke's shirt was stained with blood just as much as the Naruto's own. Sasuke didn't mind, the feel of blood against skin didn't bring back bad memories anymore. Besides, he was 15 and a ninja, he had killed before and would kill again when necessary.

He looked at the face beneath him and wondered if the boy had killed before being made into the Kyuubi's vessel. Sasuke liked to think not. An angel should be pure and innocent and unhurt. But now the angel was entwined with the devil, and everything was unclear…

-----

Sasuke tucked Naruto into bed, having removed his socks (he wasn't wearing shoes) and shirt, and now was staring, absorbed by the sight of the blonde child before his sleeping peacefully. He suddenly bent down and gave the sleeping boy a soft kiss on his cheek, a goodnight kiss that he vaguely remembered getting every night back in his early childhood, from his mother, before…

Well, that wasn't the point. But a goodnight kiss seemed proper now, even if the sun was high in the sky and it wasn't night at all. It seemed appropriate.

And then Sasuke was at a loss for what to do. He opened the door to the room and peeked out, wondering if he could wander and get a lay of the land while the blonde was unconscious. Probably not. This hallway even by itself stretched down on both sides to more than Sasuke could see, and there were other hallways branching out from this one every few meters. He would more as likely get lost.

He was about to retreat back into the room, but then something caught his eye. There was a flash of pink outside of one of the windows in the hall, one on the same side as the door and four windows down. Sasuke didn't think it could be what he thought it was, but it couldn't hurt to check, right?

The raven-haired youth made his way back to the window and looked out. His eyes widened. Yes, it was Sakura, it had been a flash of Sakura's hair that he had glimpsed. She was standing on the bridge where they had met every morning as genin, and she was talking with Ino, who was beside her. Their faces were worried, fearful, sad, and for once they weren't fighting over him. Sasuke wished he could hear their conversation, but he contented himself with the sight of them.

The image faded after a little while, to be replaced by Kakashi and Iruka eating ramen at Ichikaru's. Sasuke knew they were both thinking seriously, as they contemplated their ramen bowls with far-off looks.

They faded to become the 5th Hokage, Tsunade-sama, bending over her ever-present paperwork in her office with new lines on her youthful-looking face.

And finally, the last of his special people, Hinata-chan, with Neji standing beside her. They were talking and Hinata was fiddling with something in her hands. Sasuke looked closer and saw a forehead protector bearing the symbol of Konoha. But it wasn't her own, which was wrapped around her forehead, as it should be. So then whose was it?

Hinata was arguing with her cousin now, pale eyes flashing, and Sasuke knew her voice would be raised considerably. Although naturally shy, Hinata could make her point known when she wanted to. Sasuke had insisted on her standing up for herself a year or so ago, when he had first met her. And now she was arguing with her cousin ferociously, as he gestured to the forehead protector and glared at her. She wasn't backing down. Sasuke saw his own name on both of their lips and realized they were fighting about him, that the forehead protector clutched in Hinata's hands was his own.

He touched his uncovered forehead, a slight frown marring his features. How had he not noticed it before? His forehead protector was almost a living part of him, something tangible representing his devotion to his village. The image of Hinata and Neji faded slowly, and Sasuke tapped his chin thoughtfully, pondering.

The windows in this place were very interesting, he thought. In one he had been able to see his favorite place, in another his special people, and he wondered what else he could be able to see.

But speaking of his special people, they didn't seem to be doing so well back in Konoha…he needed to go back. He would ask Naruto when he woke up, the blonde would understand, right? He would just have to understand the devotion Sasuke held towards the only place he had ever called home. And Naruto would send him back once he knew how important it was. Of course. Of course.

Sasuke sighed and turned to go, but another image was showing up on the window. The blonde he had left just a few minutes ago was tossing and turning in his sleep, his hair tousled and his face wet with perspiration. Or were those tears? Sasuke couldn't tell. But he knew the blonde was having a nightmare; he himself had endured too many not to recognize the symptoms when he saw them.

He vaguely wondered what the boy could be dreaming about as he reached out to touch the glass. Something had stirred his heart as he watched the blonde twist and turn as he had done for many nights. When you have outgrown a fear and then see someone else fearing the same thing, do you ridicule the person? No, of course not. You want to help them overcome the fear too. Sasuke felt an affinity like that for the blonde.

His fingers moved to the window, expecting to press against it. Instead, his fingers slipped through, and so did his whole body, drifting in the air until his feet touched the ground beside the bed. His fingers brushed the blonde's forehead, and he leaned down and kissed his nose. The blonde stilled before stirring again, waking up.

Sleepy yet afraid blue eyes met calm black ones. "Sasuke?" The voice was sleepy too, and Sasuke started stroking the blonde's cheek gently with his hand. But then Naruto started sobbing brokenly, clutching Sasuke almost violently to his body. "I h-had a nightmare…I dreamed you were dead and I was heartbroken and, and…" Naruto trembled as Sasuke moved his mouth down to his ear, whispering sweet comforting nothings.

"But you're here, and alive, and I-I was a fool to think otherwise."

_Why does he sound so relieved?_ Sasuke asked in his mind.

"I…Oh Sasuke, I was so scared for some reason." Sasuke rubbed the tip of his fingers lightly over Naruto's face, wiping away his tears. He was sitting on the bed now, so close to the blonde, but he didn't really notice.

"…Sasuke, you'll never go away, will you? I would never survive if you did-never, I would die. Because I love you Sasuke, I love you…" His voice was desperate with emotion, his arms tight around Sasuke's body.

Sasuke didn't speak, just lowered his lips to touch the blonde's own in a soft kiss. Did this go past the point of comforting? He couldn't think, couldn't answer. Maybe it was, maybe he shouldn't be doing this. But the boy did seem to be comforted, relaxing under Sasuke's touch, a light blush tinting his cheeks.

Everything had taken on a sort of drunken dream-like quality to Sasuke now, how had he gotten here within this room? Right, he had gone through the window. Was that possible? His brain said no. He convinced himself this was all a dream, that he could kiss the boy beneath him just because it felt right. Because it did, and both boys pulled away when they ran out of breath a moment later.

Sasuke looked at the blonde beneath him, and was surprised to find his hands woven into thick golden hair. When had they gotten there? Oh well, didn't matter. All that did was to get more contact, more warmth, more kisses, some feather-light, some intense and passionate. Sasuke lost track of how many times their lips connected. That was trivial when all he wanted was for this dream never to end. Was that so much to ask? He found himself being pulled under the covers, Naruto's arms still locked around him, and basked in the warmth of lying next to a human being. It was so nice, being held like this. His eyelids drooped, and he thought, 'Is this dream coming to an end now? Oh well, I knew it wouldn't last forever…' before falling asleep again, head resting upon the blonde's chest.

Naruto smiled, closing his eyes too and trying to go back to sleep. It was nice, holding Sasuke like this, knowing he would be here when he woke up…

Naruto twitched, why wasn't he going to sleep? He wasn't an insomniac, as far as he knew. So why? He opened his eyes, looking down at Sasuke, who was fast asleep. If the cold bastard could sleep, why couldn't he? Then he looked around.

…This wasn't a room in the academy. This wasn't Sasuke's room in the Uchiha Mansion. This wasn't a hospital room. Where…where was this?

_Kit, I'm sorry I can't help you with this…_

As Kyuubi's voice resounded within his mind, Naruto's heart let out a strangled yell. He was with the Kyuubi! His Sasuke was dead! And the whole scenario, the last time he had ever seen his Sasuke, came rushing back into his head. The century of denial and resistance had only made it worse.

_"No! Sasuke! Don't go!" Naruto clung to the raven-haired's arm, crying freely, desperate to stop him. Sasuke just pried his fingers off one by one, cold and unemotional, seemingly unmoved by the blonde's pleas._

_"I have to, Naruto, it's my responsibility…" _

_"To whom? Who is making you do this?" _

_Sasuke tried to wipe away Naruto's tears, but they were replaced just as quickly. _

_"To my village. To my parents. I have to kill the Kyuubi for their sakes." _

_"And you'll abandon me to do it? Is that fair?" Fair and unfairness were ideas Sasuke himself had imprinted into Naruto's mind, and he would be contradicting himself if he said this was indeed fair. Because it wasn't. At all. _

_"Naruto…" Now Sasuke's mask cracked a little, and his eyes were imploring him not to continue, or he would give in, and he would regret it. Naruto's tears came faster as he knew then that he would not, could not stop Sasuke. _

_Well, if he couldn't stop the stubborn teme from fighting, he would just have to go with him. Mind made up, Naruto stopped his tears; instead, he threw off his covers and put his feet on the floor, his hands still latched onto Sasuke's arms. _

_Naruto saw Sasuke's eyes grow wide as he stuttered out, "N-Naruto, what are you doing?" _

_The blonde answered resolutely, "I'm coming with you." He stood, knees shaking a little, but he convinced himself he was fine. _

_"No! You are absolutely not coming along!" The blonde was surprised at the amount of resistance, and by the fear in Sasuke's dark eyes. What was he so afraid of? _

_"Why not? If I can't stop you, I'm coming along with you!" _

_"No, you're not! I won't let the Kyuubi take away any more of my special people!" _

_Naruto's heart clenched, but it didn't show in his tone of voice. "I'm not that weak, Sasuke! You should know, since you were the one that taught me all my moves! I'm not going to get myself killed!" _

_"BAKA! You still need to recover from that attack! That's why you're in the hospital in the first place! You can barely stand, let alone fight!" _

_Naruto winced, it was true. But he was going with Sasuke and that was final. "Sasuke, I'll be FINE. I can take care of myself." _

_Sasuke abruptly moved his arms away, setting Naruto off-balance, and the blonde stumbled and fell. Sasuke gently set him back on the bed before saying, "You know you're not fine, Naruto. Don't fight me on this – just stay." _

_"No. I'm coming with you." The blonde repeated stubbornly. "You won't leave me here." _

_Sasuke closed his eyes wearily. "You're adamant about this?" He asked softly, and Naruto's hands fell to his sides. Maybe Sasuke was going to give up after all.  
_

_"Yes, I am." _

_Sasuke opened his eyes again, and they looked just so sad. "I'm sorry Naruto, I have to do this." He began a jutsu, one Naruto had never seen before. "I won't ever let you get hurt." _

_Naruto's hands lashed out, reaching for Sasuke, only to be stopped by an invisible wall, smooth and cold. His fingers scramble upon it, trying to break through, trying to find even the tiniest crack. There was none. This was the jutsu – an invisible cage. And Sasuke was using it to trap him. He filled his hands with chakra, tearing, punching, and scratching at the hard surface surrounding him. It was of no use, but he didn't give up. He wouldn't let Sasuke go. _

_Then he saw the face of his lover bend down to his level, and two hands were pressed against the invisible wall. Sasuke was mouthing something, and Naruto realized the space was soundproof at the same instant he also knew Sasuke was saying goodbye. _

_"NO!" he screamed, even while knowing the boy outside the wall couldn't hear him. "NO! YOU CAN'T GO!" Maybe if he screamed enough somehow it might get to him… if not through his ears, then through his heart. He pressed his hands up against Sasuke's, so they looked like reflections of each other. Naruto tried to keep his tears at bay. He didn't want his vision to be blurred, didn't want what could be his last glimpse of his love to be anything but vivid and perfect. _

_Sasuke stood up, ready to go, but then seemed to hesitate. He turned back to Naruto and made a final soundless request. _

_'Kiss me,' he mouthed, and pressed his lips against the cold glass-like surface, waiting. Naruto trembled as he leaned forward, doing as Sasuke had asked. He drew in a sharp breath as he felt, not the cold 'glass', but Sasuke's soft lips moving against his, tasting as they had for millions of kisses before. _

_It was over all too soon, Sasuke drew back, stood up, and left the hospital room. Naruto stared in shock after him, before he broke down crying and started pounding again at the glass wall, praying for it to somehow miraculously go away. _

_Naruto didn't know when he stopped crying, nor when he stopped pounding, but sometime later his rational mind took over and he set out trying to find the boundaries of this wall. His chakra-filled fingertips combed every inch, finding the wall climbed to the ceiling and went down to the floor. The sides formed a rectangle around his hospital bed, an unbreakable cage. There were no weak spots. Naruto sighed, but then, he never did expect any weak spots. This was Sasuke. He had no weaknesses. _

_Naruto started the Chidori (1), and, with chirping heard all around him, slammed it into the invisible barrier. It had no effect, the smooth surface unmarred. He tried again, and again, and again, to all side, to the ceiling and the floor. _

_Nothing worked. Maybe this was an illusion, all of it. It made sense, since Sasuke had been able to penetrate it with his lips. Naruto tried to dispel it. It wasn't an illusion. He tried to transport himself out of the enclosed space. Something stopped him. _

_By now his chakra was depleted. Naruto tried kicking and punching until his strength was gone, his knuckles bruised, and his feet leaden. Naruto didn't stop. _

_The bed had been reduced to splinters and the covers to scraps when Naruto finally slumped down by the wall, breathing heavily. This wasn't going to break, that was for sure. How much chakra had Sasuke put into this jutsu? _

_Naruto's eyes widened. If Sasuke was maintaining this barrier through his barrage, then he was draining Sasuke's chakra during the fight! _

_He put his head in his hands, not wanting to think of the damage he had done. If…If Sasuke lost…it would be his fault. No! Sasuke wouldn't lose! He couldn't!_

_And the barrier, just at that moment, cracked and disappeared. Naruto snapped his head up so fast that it hurt, and he lifted a shaking hand up, reaching forward timidly. There was no resistance. He cried out and sprang up onto his feet, sprinting out of the room. A nurse tried to stop him, some passersby on the street tried to stop him, but he had just ran on, desperately willing his feet to go faster. Where did he run to? To the smoke billowing about above the forest, where he knew the battle had taken place. _

_He had ran and ran and ran…and when he had gotten there…_

_There had been Sasuke, lying in the middle of a clearing, face up, looking as if he was only sleeping. But he had known better. One look at his face, and he had known…_

Naruto came out of his memories, looking down at the Sasuke lying on top of him now, his face just as peaceful. Wait…he _was_ alive, right? Naruto couldn't tell just by looking at him. It had been too long since he had memorized this face…

Naruto shifted a little, putting his hand over Sasuke's heart. Yes, he was alive. His heartbeat was there, strong, relentless. Just like every other heartbeat in the world. Like he was just like every other life in the world. Except he wasn't. He was Sasuke.

Naruto shifted again, so that he could take off Sasuke's shirt without too much trouble. He wanted to lay skin against skin again, and know that they still fit perfectly. He dropped the dark-blue shirt onto the floor and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist, then nestled his face in Sasuke's hair and breathed. Naruto loved Sasuke's scent. He loved it more than the taste of miso ramen, more than the sight of a cloudless blue sky, more than the sound of a swiftly flowing river, and even more than the feel of Kyuubi's nine tails.

_Really, kit? His scent is that appetizing for you to even think about comparing it to my illustrious tails? _

'Kyuubi, you make it sound as if I'm going to eat him.'

_Oh, and you're not? Aren't you planning to _make_ him love you? Isn't that worse than getting eaten? Being tied to someone all of your life is no small trifle, kit. _

'And don't you think I know? I've been tied to _him_ all of my life. I know how it feels.'

_And you're willing to expose him to the same pain? How selfish of you. _

'…Haven't I deserved it? Tell me I haven't, why don't you? Tell me that through all my heartbreak and all my patience that I haven't deserved this one selfishness, this one burst of happiness. Tell me that-'

_Don't put words into my mouth, kit._

They both fell silent. Then, Naruto slowly got out of bed, setting Sasuke down gently under the covers. The blonde didn't bother putting on any more clothes, who else was going to see him besides Sasuke? He expertly navigated the halls until he came to the door where his soul was located, and opened the door. He walked into the center of the room, through the fog until he came to the mass of strings and the light inside.

There were only a few strings left now, but they were thick and strong. They represented the bonds that would take more than a resolution to break, they needed action. But Naruto stretched them out, enlarging the sphere and letting the light inside shine out. He stretched them until he could step through a gap, which he did. He walked into the light and found the Kyuubi there, waiting for him.

Naruto smiled thinly. "It's like we're just going round in circles, aren't we? Just round and round and round. I get happiness, or some measure of it, and you make me think about my happiness, so much that it diminishes." He shook his head wearily, blonde locks falling into his eyes. "Don't you care that you're going to be set free, completely free, for the first time in a century?"

_Of course I care kit. A wild animal never ceases to want its freedom. But still, I've been with you for over a hundred years, and I at least want to send you off with some lasting happiness. _

"Oh, lasting, is it? You know I'll die the minute I separate from you. So what does it matter if my happiness is lasting or not?"

…_because then I might not feel so guilty._

Naruto chuckled in surprise. "And isn't that selfish too? What a hypocrite you are!"

The Kyuubi looked down to the floor. _Is Sasuke going to make you happy? _

"Yes, blissfully happy. I'm sure of it."

_And you're going to seduce him?_

"If that's what it takes, then yes."

…_I've tainted you. You didn't use to be like this…_

"Is it so bad that I've grown stronger? I know what I want now and I'm going to get it."

_But it's not you! You were kind, and gentle, and for you love was a wonderful thing! You were truly happy then, when you weren't heartbroken! Will you be happy now, knowing Sasuke's love will be forced? _

"Kyuubi, how many times do I have to tell you? YES, he will make me happy! How could he not? He's Sasuke…"

_And you won't regret this, ever?_

"I won't have time to regret. I just want to go out knowing someone loves me and will love me forever and ever. I want to know I haven't done this, given my soul over to you, for nothing at all. I WANT TO BE HAPPY."

After a short silence the Kyuubi's piercing eyes bored into Naruto's, and he said, _Kit, you are the most stupid and unreasonable being I have ever met. I shall never understand why you do not move on. But I shall help you, if it'll make you happy, as you insist it will. _The fox looked away to the side, tails lashing, and then suddenly his tone turned contemplative. _This cage is getting weaker every minute you spend with Sasuke. _

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Naruto looked around at the strings, strong but scattered, with spacious gaps within them. "Although, if you really do try to get out, I still can and will chain you quite effectively." This was said with an innocent smile, and the combination made the Kyuubi smirk.

_I suppose I can live with the new you after all. It's…intriguing, how my personality has leaked into yours. Your threat actually makes an impression on me now. _

Naruto's eyes strayed from the Kyuubi towards the open door to the hallway. "That's an improvement. Though…I should go now. Sasuke should be waking up anytime."

_Hmph. _Kyuubi refrained from commenting on how obsessed Naruto was with Sasuke, knowing all that would earn him would be a hard smack. _Just one thing, Naru-chan, before you run off to proclaim your love._

The blonde was already standing up, and moving through the light to the strings which were no trouble to him, but a source of great bother to the Kyuubi. "Yes?" He asked, distracted.

_This is not a fairy tale, and you have no guarantee of a happy ending, no matter how many factors are on your side. He has broken your heart once, defending his village, and he won't hesitate to do it again. Don't let Sasuke get to your head- stay on your guard. _The Kyuubi watched with semi-malicious delight (come on, even though he had grown a tiny attachment to the blonde, he still loved to watch the blonde squirm) as Naruto stopped moving, his eyes dropping to the floor.

"Oh…right…" He moved on a second later, a little more sluggish and hesitant now. Kyuubi's words had obviously gotten to him. And before he could completely go, Kyuubi called out another warning, _And don't think making Sasuke fall in love with you, again or not, will be completely easy, baka. It'll take work. Be patient, and don't push him. You'll get through eventually. _

Naruto gave him a small smile before walking out, the strings closing around the Kyuubi after he was gone. The demon fox sighed, dissipating into his usual form of fog. The fox body was just an apparition, and couldn't be seen by anyone but Naruto. The only time he was really TANGIBLE was when Naruto let him take over. Yes, let him. Something had happened over the years. Either Naruto had tightened his control over the demon fox, or he had let himself slip and become submissive, but now he couldn't take over whenever he wanted to. Oh, ok, he still could sometimes, but he never found the inclination to, when Naruto would just willingly let him, without a fight.

The Kyuubi really wished he knew when things had changed. It was so strange, trying to figure something like this out. When had he started to care?

The Kyuubi would've frowned if he had donned a form. Maybe he should just merge together with Naruto, he thought. They were similar enough, but they weren't the same person yet. Maybe it would do them both good…that way, Naruto wouldn't have to die, since there would be no way to give up the Kyuubi, and the demon fox himself wouldn't have to commit to Itachi…

Sometimes it hurt him to know Itachi didn't care for him at all, didn't care for being a loving mate and having kits, even though both were possible. The elder Uchiha only wanted his immense power, no matter what he had to do to grasp it. But then, that was just a mirror image of himself, wasn't it? Yes, of course it was. That was why he loved Itachi so, the power-hungry reflection of himself. But then he looked at Naruto's and Sasuke's relationship, and found himself craving some of the tenderness, some of the actual love.

Yes, perhaps merging with Naruto would be the best thing after all. He could get both then, couldn't he? Itachi's desire and Sasuke's love.

Kyuubi was eternally selfish, that he knew. When he knew what he wanted, he would do anything to get it. That simple fact would never cease to be true. He shaped himself into his cuddly fox shape again, waving his tails around and sitting within his cage, staring at the source of light. It was his own soul and Naruto's, entangled and yet not the same. They had each put their souls into an inanimate object, a container, and Kyuubi had chosen one of his claws, one of those sharp knife-like ones he had in his full-blown form. It had regrown immediately of course, so that was no problem. And Naruto had chosen…his Sasuke's forehead protector, he had taken it off his beloved almost reverently, silent tears pouring down his face.

Kyuubi shook his head, he didn't want memories of that day to crop up now. Besides, this would turn out to be good for Naruto too. He would be able to stay with Sasuke, if not for forever, than at least for a few decades more than expected. Kyuubi focused on this thought and infused his chakra into the blue and silver forehead protector wrapped around his claw, making it blaze with light. The two objects started losing their shape, turning to a liquid substance, and melding together. Kyuubi growled and the process sped along faster, until what had once been two was now one. It had morphed into the shape of a teardrop, a dark red, almost blood red teardrop, and Kyuubi was satisfied-he would make the final changes when Naruto came to check on him. With that in mind, he let his shape slip away and once again turned into fog.

-----

Kyuubi knew Naruto felt their new connection, knew how easily the fox invaded his mind, but to his surprise the blonde didn't try to confront him. It seemed that Naruto was just focusing solely on Sasuke right now…

And it was paying off. Kyuubi, looking at the world through Naruto's eyes and hearing his thoughts, knew the two teenagers were getting closer. Sasuke hadn't gotten over the Kyuubi-is-Naruto revelation yet and was trying to ignore and push Naruto away, but Kyuubi was confident his Naruto would worm his way into the Uchiha's affections. For one, the blonde was extremely stubborn. For two, he was extremely cute, err, beautiful. And for three? Well, even though Kyuubi wasn't mushy in the least, he had to admit that just maybe these two were destined for each other. After all, it _had_ happened before.

The fox demon still remembered that day, that day he had attacked Konoha and several unexpected things had happened.

He had been wounded a day earlier, while fighting a pair of very skilled ninjas gifted with the Sharingan, a man and a woman, but it wasn't that bad and he had overpowered and killed them. But this day another ninja had come along, also gifted with the Sharingan but much younger than the couple before. And much much more powerful. Of course, he was fueled up with rage and something else, so that might have been why he had wounded the Kyuubi so much. But the fox had won in the end. The boy had flinched and hesitated in the middle of forming a jutsu, there had been a fleeting moment of weakness, and the Kyuubi had taken advantage of it.

The raven-haired boy was dead now, lifeless in the clearing in which they had fought, and the Kyuubi turned to go. He had lost interest in Konoha for the moment, though he knew he would come back and conquer it later, but right now he just wanted to rest and heal his vast amount of wounds. He was tired…

But he hadn't limped very far before he heard a rustling coming from behind him, a bit too loud to be any sort of ninja, who were stealthy to the death, but being wary, he had turned around. There was another mortal in the clearing, he saw, a blonde boy who was bent over the raven-haired boy and sobbing his heart out. The fox demon had been intrigued by this display of emotion and unwittingly took a step back towards the clearing, making some noise in the underbrush and alerting the blonde of his presence. The boy's head had snapped up, his eyes locking onto the Kyuubi's. Those eyes were a startling blue, Kyuubi saw, a blue reminiscent of peaceful times, long before any demon had come to call. It was a blue, an innocence really, his nature could never attain.

The blonde had stood up, gently carrying the other dark-haired boy in his arms, and now walked over with heavy steps.

"Are you the one that killed Sasuke?" He had asked the fox in a whisper, staring up at the beast before him unflinchingly.

_Yes, I am._

He didn't seem startled by this form of communication either.

"Then will you kill me too?" The Kyuubi's eyes had widened at this request, said in such an innocent tone. Did this mortal know what he asked for? It seemed he did, for now he went on. "I want to die. I have no reason to live now, so why not die and perhaps find my Sasuke in the afterlife, where we will never be separated?" Transparent tears ran down his cheeks, each one disappearing in an instant just to be replaced – an endless river of sorrow.

What, was this kid really suicidal? From what he had learned about mortals, weren't they supposed to treasure their short lives? But the Kyuubi pondered the request. If this mortal was willing to give up his life, then couldn't he put it to good use? The demon fox knew he would heal much faster if he were allowed to rest in a container, since that container's chakra would be helping to heal him as well as his own. And then he could just get rid of the blonde afterwards, with no protests against him…

_Kid. _Kyuubi said gruffly. _Do you really have a death wish? _

The blonde nodded his head slowly.

_Ok, then. You shall get your death soon enough. For now, I shall make use of you. _The kid's eyes had flickered with a bit of alarm at the last sentence – doubtless he was wondering what he was getting himself in to – but it faded quickly back into deadened sorrow.

"What should I do?"

_Hmm, you really have no regard for your life, do you? Well, choose something to contain your soul in. _

The Kyuubi had already bitten off one of his claws and watched as another one grew in its place, just a little bit slower than usual from his lack of chakra. Now he watched as the kid laid his dead friend? comrade? lover? …precious person down on the ground, took off the dark-haired's hitai-ate (why wasn't he wearing one himself?), and held it up for Kyuubi's inspection.

"Is this ok?"

_Yes. But we must hurry now, the Konoha reinforcements are coming. _

"...Will you let me say goodbye to Sasuke?"

…_Fine. But be quick about it. _

The Kyuubi watched with interest as the blonde gently cupped one of Sasuke's marble white cheeks and kissed that pair of white lifeless lips. So they had been lovers then. He also heard the blonde's choked whisper, "Wait for me in heaven, ok teme? I'll…maybe I might go there after all for you."

He then took off Sasuke's hitai-ate, stood up and walked towards the Kyuubi, never looking back on the prone form behind him.

Kyuubi could hear the ninjas coming, and with the last of his chakra put himself into the blonde's body, the two objects they had chosen being engulfed in a burst of light. He could hear the blonde's screams as their chakras combined, but he didn't feel any pain himself. He just curled up within his container's body and slept, allowing his remaining power to heal himself. He wouldn't wake up, and neither would the blonde, until he had reached maximum strength again. And then, Konoha had better watch out…

He never _had_ gotten the chance to rampage through Konoha, the Kyuubi mused with a reflective smile. Even then, Naruto had been…too attached to his 'friends' and to the villagers to have let him. Of course, if the binding would've gone right, he would've just taken over the blonde's body and Naruto would have been unable to take control, if not dead, but something had gone wrong at that moment.

And Kyuubi had always just put it down to his lack of control and lack of chakra at that particular place and time…

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(1) Yes, it is the Chidori, since Sasuke's been teaching Naruto his jutsus and so Naruto knows the Chidori.

OMG, thank you for all the reviews! Yes, I know I like to make the characters suffer, but they'll be happy…eventually…

Wow, I almost made people cry? That's…momentous! Thanks for telling me, **Poetic Folly** and **Encumbrance**! And thanks for all your encouragements about high school, all of you! I know I'm updating slowly, but usually I want my updates to exceed **4500** words. This one's over** 6000**. So, should I update all the time but with short updates or update once in a while with these longer ones? Your choice.

Oh, and **Mantineus**, an extra thank you for you! You read and reviewed all my stories! (or at least most) And I'm very happy.

So, **Naru-plushies** to you all! –hands out plushies- Thanks for reading!


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